Civil and Human Rights Coalition: Trump’s Statement on Judiciary Raises the Ante on Gorsuch Nomination to the Supreme Court

WASHINGTON – Wade Henderson, president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, issued the following statement following President Trump’s ill-considered comments about the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit’s hearing on the Muslim travel ban:

“President Trump’s appalling comments on the Ninth Circuit’s hearing about the legality of his Muslim travel ban raise the ante on the Supreme Court nomination of Neil Gorsuch and the need for a truly independent judiciary.

Trump, who has already disparaged the heritage of one federal judge and referred to another as a ‘so-called judge,’ criticized the Ninth Circuit today, calling its hearing in the travel ban case ‘disgraceful’ in an unseemly attempt to intimidate the court.

As Noah Purcell, Washington State Solicitor General, told the Ninth Circuit, ‘It has always been the judicial branch’s role to say what the law is and to serve as a check on abuses by the executive branch. That judicial role has never been more important in recent memory than it is today.’   

Regardless of how this case is resolved, our courts must be fair and independent. That is true at every level, but it is essential when it comes to considering the nomination of a Supreme Court justice. Given the litmus test Trump used to choose him, the burden is on Gorsuch to prove that he would uphold the independence of the Court and not be a rubber stamp for the president who appointed him.”

Wade Henderson is the president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, 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 200-plus member organizations, visit www.civilrights.org. 

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