Confirmation of Brennan Dismantles Checks and Balances by the Senate

WASHINGTON – Vanita Gupta, president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, issued the following statement after the U.S. Senate confirmed the nomination of Michael Brennan to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit:

“The party-line confirmation of Michael Brennan signals a deeply troubling disregard by the Republicans for Senate traditions and our federal government’s system of checks and balances. Brennan is the first appeals court nominee to be confirmed without the support of both home-state senators in nearly four decades. Brennan failed to earn the support of Senator Tammy Baldwin because his judicial philosophy and anti-civil rights record are so extreme that the Wisconsin bipartisan selection commission refused to recommend him. We applaud Senator Baldwin for her courage in standing up for the integrity of the Wisconsin tradition and judicial independence. Every senator who voted for Brennan’s confirmation has voted to diminish the role of each senator to be a check on this and future presidents. President Trump is packing the courts to further his extreme agenda, and we call on all senators to resist this dangerous effort with all remaining tools at their disposal. They should be held accountable.”

Earlier this year, The Leadership Conference wrote to the Senate urging opposition to Michael Brennan’s confirmation. The letter is available here.

The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights is a coalition charged by its diverse membership of more than 200 national organizations to promote and protect the rights of all persons in the United States. The Leadership Conference works toward an America as good as its ideals. For more information on The Leadership Conference and its member organizations, visit www.civilrights.org.