As the 116th Congress begins today, People For the American Way Executive Vice President Marge Baker issued the following statement on the Senate’s decision to send dozens of judicial nominees back to the White House at the end of the 115th Congress.
“At the end of the last Congress, Senate Democrats stood firm against the shoddy, reckless confirmation process Republicans have used for Donald Trump’s dangerously extreme judicial nominees. Each of these nominees, if confirmed, would have received a lifetime seat on the federal courts and had a profound impact on the lives of Americans long after Donald Trump leaves the White House. Republicans have routinely put party and politics above their constitutional responsibility to adequately vet judicial nominees, and Democrats were right to use their power to put the brakes on the process. Hopefully, the incoming Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham shows more regard for the integrity of the process than his predecessor Chuck Grassley, whose legacy was to destroy Senate norms and help pack the courts with narrow-minded elitists who will harm his constituents for a generation. If not, Democrats will need to continue to show the same strength and integrity in 2019 and 2020 that they did in refusing to be pressured into a deal at the end of 2018.”
People For the American Way is a progressive advocacy organization founded to fight right-wing extremism and defend constitutional values including free expression, religious liberty, equal justice under the law, and the right to meaningfully participate in our democracy.
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