McConnell Shamelessly Rushes to Confirm Block of 19 Judges

Majority Leader short circuits system, forcing through some of the most extreme nominees

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Rafael Medina, [email protected], 202.869.0390

WASHINGTON – Kristine Lucius, executive vice president for policy and government affairs at The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, issued the following statement regarding reports that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell will move forward lifetime appointments for 19 judicial nominees this week, bringing Trump’s record to 150 judges confirmed by the Senate:

“McConnell’s flagrant move to clear the deck before the Senate leaves for recess would bring Trump’s total to 150 judicial appointments. The agenda is clear: transform the courts as quickly as possible to achieve through the courts what Senate Republicans cannot accomplish legislatively. Indeed, eleven of the nominees failed to state that the landmark civil rights case Brown v. Board of Education was correctly decided, and two have records of demonstrated hostility to voting rights, immigrant rights, reproductive rights, and other civil rights. By bringing 19 nominations up on the Senate floor in one week, McConnell is trying to confirm in one week the same number of district court judges confirmed in two years during President Obama’s final two years in office. This all but ensures that biased judges will sit on our courts for decades to come. Senators must put an end to this blatant disrespect to our judicial system, traditions, and democracy. They must demand that each nomination receives a roll call vote, so the public knows where their senators stand.”

Read The Leadership Conference’s letter in opposition to the confirmation of Jeffrey Brown and Brantley Starr. Read The Leadership Conference’s letter and updated list of nominees we are calling on senators to oppose because they refused to state unequivocally that Brown was correctly decided.

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.