Senate Judiciary Committee Continues Assault on Federal Judiciary

WASHINGTON – Vanita Gupta, president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, issued the following statement after the Senate Judiciary Committee Republicans advanced the nomination of Jonathan Kobes to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit:

“For Senate Republicans, packing the bench with dangerous and unqualified judicial nominees is now business as usual. Their latest in a wave of such nominees is Jonathan Kobes, the fifth Trump judicial pick to be rated Not Qualified by the American Bar Association. Kobes lacks virtually any appellate experience, and his record illustrates an extreme right-wing ideology including hostility to reproductive rights.

“This partisan court packing is unacceptable. Senate Democrats must do everything they can to stop Trump’s takeover of the courts. We urge the full Senate to reject this nominee.

The Leadership Conference’s letter of opposition to Jonathan Kobes 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.