In response to the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on the nominations of Eric Murphy and Chad Readler—both of whom are missing a blue slip from homestate senator Sherrod Brown—People For the American Way Executive Vice President Marge Baker issued the following statement:
“Today’s hearing was all the proof anyone needs that Republicans’ behavior during the Kavanaugh hearings is par for the course when it comes to lower federal court nominees as well. They’re running roughshod over a hundred years of Senate tradition in order to confirm nominees whose resumes alone make clear that they’re more interested in taking away healthcare, making it harder to vote, undermining rights for same-sex couples and attacking public education than they are in protecting the rule of law. The idea that these two nominees were chosen because of their legal acumen or widespread respect in the Ohio legal community is absurd. These are partisan ideologues and narrow-minded elitists who were chosen to push the Republican party agenda from the federal bench. That’s not what our courts are there to do. But Donald Trump is intent on making them an arm of the Republican party and his supporters in the Senate seem happy to let him.
“Senator Brown should be applauded for standing up for his constituents and opposing these nominees. As his testimony today made clear, he’s willing to support other nominees—even conservative nominees—put forward by this White House. But President Trump and Don McGahn are more interested in forcing through extremists than finding consensus choices.
“Republicans on the committee, for their part, couldn’t pass up the opportunity to remind every woman in America that they don’t respect their right to be heard by bemoaning the fact that protestors, Democratic senators and a plurality of Americans opposed the confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court. Unsurprisingly, none of them had the guts to say that to Dr. Blasey Ford’s face when she testified two weeks ago.”
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. Learn more: https://www.pfaw.org.
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