Civil and Human Rights Coalition: This is No Time for More Extreme Trump Judges

Courts News 09.13,18

WASHINGTON – Vanita Gupta, president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, issued a statement following today’s Senate Judiciary Committee meeting:

 “Senate Republicans continue to cram more Trump loyalists onto the federal courts, disregarding committee rules and policies in the process. Their partisan court packing tactics, both in the lower courts and their rush to advance extreme Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, place our fundamental rights at risk. The Senate Democrats’ efforts to obtain records from Kavanaugh’s time as a Bush White House political operative were repeatedly thwarted by Republican committee members who refused to allow any transparency.

“The most recent ideological nominee, Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals nominee Ryan Nelson, poses a direct threat to our civil and human rights. Like Kavanaugh, Nelson’s hostility toward environmental protections, disability rights, and civil liberties demonstrates he is unfit for a lifetime judgeship. Additionally, his membership in far-right organizations including the Federalist Society and the Republican National Lawyers Association makes clear that he would not serve as a neutral and fair-minded judge.

“Senate Republicans have effectively made packing the bench with dangerous judicial nominees business as usual. This is unacceptable. Senate Democrats must do everything they can to stop the partisan takeover of the courts. We urge the full Senate to reject Ryan Nelson and Brett Kavanaugh.”

The Leadership Conference sent a letter to the Senate in opposition to Ryan Nelson.

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.