100+ Civil, Human Rights Groups Urge Senate to Oppose Brett Kavanaugh

WASHINGTON—The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights and more than 100 national, state, and local organizations today wrote a letter to the Senate urging them to oppose the confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh to be an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States.

“The Supreme Court is the final arbiter of our laws and Constitution, and its rulings dramatically impact our rights and freedoms. Every Supreme Court vacancy is significant, but the stakes could not be higher in deciding who will replace Justice Kennedy – who served as the deciding vote in nearly all the momentous cases of the past dozen years. Critical civil and human rights issues hang in the balance, including access to health care for millions of Americans, the ability of women to control their own bodies, voting rights, labor rights, economic security, rights of immigrants and persons with disabilities, LGBTQ equality, equal opportunity and affirmative action, environmental protections, and whether the judiciary will serve as a constitutional check on a reckless president,” the groups write in the letter. “Many of our organizations opposed Judge Kavanaugh’s nomination to the D.C. Circuit, and our fears and concerns have been realized. Judge Kavanaugh has not served as a neutral and fair-minded jurist. He has served as a conservative ideologue who lacks the impartiality and independence necessary to sit on the highest court in the land.”

The letter emphasizes concerns about Kavanaugh’s fitness to serve as a lifetime Supreme Court justice in the following areas:

Access to Health Care
Women’s Reproductive Freedom
Voting Rights
Employment Discrimination
Workers’ Rights
Immigrant Justice
Presidential Power
Environmental Protections
Gun Safety
Criminal Justice
Money in Politics
Church-State Separation in Education
Ideological Jobs and Affiliations
Ties to Judge Kozinski

The letter can be read in its entirety 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 200-plus member organizations, visit www.civilrights.org.