Abortion rights activists protest outside the U.S. Supreme Court on June 30, 2022 in Washington, D.C. (Photo: Nicholas Kamm/AFP via Getty Images)
'Not Too Late to Stop This': Organizers Mobilize Against Biden's Anti-Choice Judge Pick
"Why is a Democratic White House doing more for anti-abortion right-wing extremists than they have for the majority of us who just lost our reproductive freedoms?" asked one progressive critic.
Pro-democracy groups are ramping up efforts to make sure President Joe Biden backs off his reported plan to nominate an anti-choice Federalist Society supporter to a U.S. District Court in Kentucky amid news that the White House is moving forward with the nomination.
"They're defending it," a source who was briefed on the Biden administration's judicial nomination plans told HuffPost Tuesday regarding the president's choice of Chad Meredith, a conservative lawyer who served as chief deputy general counsel to former Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin, a Republican.
"There's literally no reason to nominate this truly awful person to a lifetime appointment in exchange for basically nothing."
The White House has not publicly addressed the potential nomination, which was first reported by the Louisville Courier-Journal. As HuffPost reported Tuesday, Meredith is likely one of a large group of nominees that would be announced all at once.
In an email to Democratic Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear about the nomination on June 23, HuffPost reported, "White House officials appear to have simply cut and pasted White House language about Meredith into the email--including the number eight right before Meredith's name, as if he is one in a list of nominees being lumped together."
Grassroots organizing group Indivisible on Tuesday circulated a petition urging voters to call on their senators to reject Meredith, who while serving in Bevin's office defended a state law requiring doctors to perform an ultrasound and describe the image to the patient before providing abortion care.
"There's literally no reason to nominate this truly awful person to a lifetime appointment in exchange for basically nothing," said Meagan Hatcher-Mays, Indivisible's director of democracy policy. "Let's not make it easy for him."
As Common Dreams reported last month, Biden agreed to nominate Meredith in exchange for Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell's (R-Ky.) claim that he will not obstruct the president's future judicial nominees.
Mark Joseph Stern of Slate also reported that "McConnell will allow Biden to nominate and confirm two U.S. Attorneys to Kentucky" in exchange for Meredith's nomination.
The news of the reported deal followed the U.S. Supreme Court's overturning of Roe v. Wade, ending abortion rights for millions of women across the country and likely reducing access even in states where the procedure has not been outlawed.
Meredith's nomination would be "an enormous betrayal to the very people who worked to put Biden in office," said former Ohio state Sen. Nina Turner.
Biden reportedly initially planned to announce his choice of Meredith on June 24, but scrapped the plan after the Supreme Court's right-wing majority handed down its ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization. The White House, along with the rest of the country, had known for weeks at that point that the justices were likely to overturn Roe due to a leaked draft opinion from the court.
"Why is a Democratic White House doing more for anti-abortion right-wing extremists than they have for the majority of us who just lost our reproductive freedoms?" asked Pennsylvania state House member and U.S. House candidate Summer Lee.
We are at a crossroads
This country and this world are at a monumental crossroads. US voters have an opportunity to beat back the forces of fascism and confront the billionaires who are rigging the economy, our media system, and our democracy, making it increasingly impossible for ordinary people to get by. We’re not just talking about the election. We’re talking about what must be done once these fascist elements are vanquished from power. We need a bolder set of solutions than what either major party has so far been willing to offer and a working-class movement ready to fight like hell for it. Trump didn't emerge from nowhere. The conditions that fueled MAGA authoritarianism were created by decades of radical neoliberal economic policies and a corrupt political system dominated by corporate interests. They slashed taxes on the super-rich, promising that the benefits would trickle down. They said giveaways to the corporate titans would make life more affordable for the rest of us. It was all bullshit. And when a bitter, betrayed populace searches for someone to blame, right-wing demagogues have little trouble finding scapegoats. People know when they're being lied to, but you won't hear any of this from the corporate media. Only independent journalism—powered and funded by people who believe in building a better world—can deliver truly trustworthy daily news. Our Fall Campaign is underway, and we need your help. To power our newsroom through the rest of the year, we need to raise $125,000 by midnight on October 31. So if you share our vision, please contribute whatever you can to sustain our work. |
Pro-democracy groups are ramping up efforts to make sure President Joe Biden backs off his reported plan to nominate an anti-choice Federalist Society supporter to a U.S. District Court in Kentucky amid news that the White House is moving forward with the nomination.
"They're defending it," a source who was briefed on the Biden administration's judicial nomination plans told HuffPost Tuesday regarding the president's choice of Chad Meredith, a conservative lawyer who served as chief deputy general counsel to former Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin, a Republican.
"There's literally no reason to nominate this truly awful person to a lifetime appointment in exchange for basically nothing."
The White House has not publicly addressed the potential nomination, which was first reported by the Louisville Courier-Journal. As HuffPost reported Tuesday, Meredith is likely one of a large group of nominees that would be announced all at once.
In an email to Democratic Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear about the nomination on June 23, HuffPost reported, "White House officials appear to have simply cut and pasted White House language about Meredith into the email--including the number eight right before Meredith's name, as if he is one in a list of nominees being lumped together."
Grassroots organizing group Indivisible on Tuesday circulated a petition urging voters to call on their senators to reject Meredith, who while serving in Bevin's office defended a state law requiring doctors to perform an ultrasound and describe the image to the patient before providing abortion care.
"There's literally no reason to nominate this truly awful person to a lifetime appointment in exchange for basically nothing," said Meagan Hatcher-Mays, Indivisible's director of democracy policy. "Let's not make it easy for him."
As Common Dreams reported last month, Biden agreed to nominate Meredith in exchange for Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell's (R-Ky.) claim that he will not obstruct the president's future judicial nominees.
Mark Joseph Stern of Slate also reported that "McConnell will allow Biden to nominate and confirm two U.S. Attorneys to Kentucky" in exchange for Meredith's nomination.
The news of the reported deal followed the U.S. Supreme Court's overturning of Roe v. Wade, ending abortion rights for millions of women across the country and likely reducing access even in states where the procedure has not been outlawed.
Meredith's nomination would be "an enormous betrayal to the very people who worked to put Biden in office," said former Ohio state Sen. Nina Turner.
Biden reportedly initially planned to announce his choice of Meredith on June 24, but scrapped the plan after the Supreme Court's right-wing majority handed down its ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization. The White House, along with the rest of the country, had known for weeks at that point that the justices were likely to overturn Roe due to a leaked draft opinion from the court.
"Why is a Democratic White House doing more for anti-abortion right-wing extremists than they have for the majority of us who just lost our reproductive freedoms?" asked Pennsylvania state House member and U.S. House candidate Summer Lee.
Pro-democracy groups are ramping up efforts to make sure President Joe Biden backs off his reported plan to nominate an anti-choice Federalist Society supporter to a U.S. District Court in Kentucky amid news that the White House is moving forward with the nomination.
"They're defending it," a source who was briefed on the Biden administration's judicial nomination plans told HuffPost Tuesday regarding the president's choice of Chad Meredith, a conservative lawyer who served as chief deputy general counsel to former Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin, a Republican.
"There's literally no reason to nominate this truly awful person to a lifetime appointment in exchange for basically nothing."
The White House has not publicly addressed the potential nomination, which was first reported by the Louisville Courier-Journal. As HuffPost reported Tuesday, Meredith is likely one of a large group of nominees that would be announced all at once.
In an email to Democratic Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear about the nomination on June 23, HuffPost reported, "White House officials appear to have simply cut and pasted White House language about Meredith into the email--including the number eight right before Meredith's name, as if he is one in a list of nominees being lumped together."
Grassroots organizing group Indivisible on Tuesday circulated a petition urging voters to call on their senators to reject Meredith, who while serving in Bevin's office defended a state law requiring doctors to perform an ultrasound and describe the image to the patient before providing abortion care.
"There's literally no reason to nominate this truly awful person to a lifetime appointment in exchange for basically nothing," said Meagan Hatcher-Mays, Indivisible's director of democracy policy. "Let's not make it easy for him."
As Common Dreams reported last month, Biden agreed to nominate Meredith in exchange for Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell's (R-Ky.) claim that he will not obstruct the president's future judicial nominees.
Mark Joseph Stern of Slate also reported that "McConnell will allow Biden to nominate and confirm two U.S. Attorneys to Kentucky" in exchange for Meredith's nomination.
The news of the reported deal followed the U.S. Supreme Court's overturning of Roe v. Wade, ending abortion rights for millions of women across the country and likely reducing access even in states where the procedure has not been outlawed.
Meredith's nomination would be "an enormous betrayal to the very people who worked to put Biden in office," said former Ohio state Sen. Nina Turner.
Biden reportedly initially planned to announce his choice of Meredith on June 24, but scrapped the plan after the Supreme Court's right-wing majority handed down its ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization. The White House, along with the rest of the country, had known for weeks at that point that the justices were likely to overturn Roe due to a leaked draft opinion from the court.
"Why is a Democratic White House doing more for anti-abortion right-wing extremists than they have for the majority of us who just lost our reproductive freedoms?" asked Pennsylvania state House member and U.S. House candidate Summer Lee.