April, 07 2016, 11:45am EDT
Mainers Applaud Sen. Collins for Doing Her Job on Supreme Court Nomination, Urge Her to Continue Advocating for Process
This morning, leaders from Maine's business, women's, and legal communities applauded Senator Susan Collins' leadership in calling for a Senate hearing on the nomination of Judge Merrick Garland to the U.S. Supreme Court, and encouraged her to continue to push for a fair hearing and timely vote.
AUGUSTA, ME
This morning, leaders from Maine's business, women's, and legal communities applauded Senator Susan Collins' leadership in calling for a Senate hearing on the nomination of Judge Merrick Garland to the U.S. Supreme Court, and encouraged her to continue to push for a fair hearing and timely vote.
Click here to listen to an MP3 recording of this morning's press call.
Below are quotes from the call.
Eliza Townsend, executive director of the Maine Women's Lobby in Augusta
"We appreciate Senator Collins' responsibility and leadership on the issue of the Supreme Court vacancy. By meeting with Merrick Garland on Tuesday and by renewing her call for the Judiciary Committee to hold hearings, Senator Collins has set an example for her colleagues. We would like to see other members of the Republican caucus in the United States Senate follow her lead by performing the job that they sought and were elected to do."
John Costin, owner of Veneer Services Unlimited in Kennebunk and a member of the Small Business Majority
"The business community really counts on reliability and predictability, and we expect everyone in the chain to do their job. When there's a disagreement, we don't have people throwing a temper tantrum and saying, 'we're just not going to do anything on this.' We work out our disagreements and have negotiations, and it's reasonable to expect Republicans in the Senate to do the same thing and do their jobs. I applaud Senator Collins for stepping up and fulfilling that responsibility. I ask her to encourage her fellow Republican Senators to do the same."
Professor Dmitry Bam, constitutional law professor at the University of Maine School of Law in Portland
"Senator Collins deserves credit for her sense of responsibility and commitment to the rule of law and the state of Maine. It's unfortunate that it takes courage for a Republican Senator to meet with an undoubtedly qualified judge, but it does take a great deal of courage to take the principled stand that she did. Senator Collins has seen through her colleagues' arguments as disingenuous and inconsistent with the rule of law. She should continue to press them to fulfill their obligations under the law."
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 civil and human rights of all persons in the United States. Through advocacy and outreach to targeted constituencies, The Leadership Conference works toward the goal of a more open and just society - an America as good as its ideals.
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