Washington, D.C. — The just-concluded term of the Supreme Court offers a stark illustration of the influence of the two Trump justices, Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh, according to a new report released by People For the American Way. As the report notes, Gorsuch and Kavanaugh "showed their willingness to overrule abortion rights precedent, to attack voting rights, to help President Trump evade the rule of law, to embitter the lives of immigrants, to end the nation’s social safety net, to funnel state money into religious education, and to transform religious liberty protections from a shield into a sword." This is true despite much-celebrated rulings on DACA and LGBTQ rights in the workplace, the latter being the one instance in which Gorsuch departed from Kavanaugh in supporting a favorable result.
"Long after Donald Trump has left office, his two Supreme Court justices will continue to have negative impacts on our rights and freedoms. And these effects are suffered most by the people who are most in need of the protections our democracy and justice system have to offer. The last thing we want now is for Trump to get the opportunity to nominate another justice. It's critically important that we vote Trump out in November and that the next administration begins the urgent work of repairing Trump's damage to our courts and our justice system," said Ben Jealous, president of People For the American Way.
"We've heard a lot about the positive outcomes in the DACA and LGBTQ rights cases, but two cases do not a term make," said Paul Gordon, People For the American Way senior legislative counsel and the author of the report. "The reality is that this most recent term overall advanced far-right goals, and Justices Gorsuch and Kavanaugh virtually always came down on the side of curtailing important rights. And in cases in which they didn't prevail, such as the Louisiana TRAP law case, the outcome was often too close for comfort."
The report reviews cases in the following areas:
- Abortion rights
- Voting rights
- Trump's tax and business records
- Immigrants' and non-citizens' lives
- Ending the social safety net/repealing the New Deal
- Redefining religious liberty to enable discrimination
- LGBTQ+ rights
- Racial equity
- Environment
About People For the American Way Foundation
People For the American Way Foundation is a progressive advocacy organization founded to fight right-wing extremism and build a democratic society that implements the ideals of freedom, equality, opportunity and justice for all. We encourage civic participation, defend fundamental rights, and fight to dismantle systemic barriers to equitable opportunity. Learn more: https://www.pfaw.org.