October, 06 2020, 12:00am EDT
150 Civil Rights and Public Interest Groups Urge Senate to Oppose Amy Coney Barrett's Supreme Court Nomination
The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, joined by 149 other organizations, today urged the Senate to oppose the confirmation of Amy Coney Barrett to serve as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States.
WASHINGTON
The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, joined by 149 other organizations, today urged the Senate to oppose the confirmation of Amy Coney Barrett to serve as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. The letter reflects the broad range of problematic issues in Judge Barrett's record - from health care and reproductive rights to criminal justice and LGBTQ rights - underscoring the rights at risk with this Supreme Court vacancy. The letter also highlights the irresponsible and shameful process by which Leader McConnell is trying to rush this nomination through.
The Senate must thoroughly review Barrett's record and that requires an in-person hearing with all senators in attendance. However, that is not possible given the recent outbreak of COVID-19 on Capitol Hill and in the White House. Instead, the outbreak highlights the urgency of focusing on the health and safety of our country and getting the pandemic under control rather than rushing a nominee through an expedited confirmation process. There is no denying that the Senate's priorities have been wrong. The Senate should be passing legislation to address the devastating effects of this pandemic and not rushing through a nominee who could jeopardize health care access for millions of people.
The letter reads, in part, Barrett "is incapable of rendering equal justice under law," and if confirmed, she "would grant President Trump nearly unchecked power to continue the devastating assault on civil and human rights in America, and it would cement an ultraconservative supermajority that could jeopardize critical rights and freedoms for generations - the very rights and freedoms that Justice Ginsburg helped secure during her nearly three decades of service on the Court." The letter continues, this "will go down as one of the most infamous power grabs and acts of political hypocrisy in American history."
The letter states, "from President Trump's punitive and reckless condemnations of judges who rule against him to his repeated efforts to pack the federal courts with right-wing extremists, it is abundantly clear that the president is utterly unconcerned about the independence and reputation of the third branch of government." The people overwhelmingly want the next president to fill the vacancy and rushing to fill the seat before the election "will deeply tarnish the integrity and reputation of the Supreme Court" - and the legitimacy that stems from the public's faith that its decision-making is fair and impartial.
The letter emphasizes concerns about Barrett's record on:
Health Care Access
Reproductive Rights and Freedom
LGBTQ Rights
Employment Discrimination
Accountability for Sexual Assault
Criminal Justice
Immigrant Justice
Gun Safety
Lack of Respect for Judicial Precedent
Ideological Affiliations
The letter can be read in its entirety here.
This statement is signed by the following groups:
The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights
A Better Balance
Advocates for Youth
Alaskans Together for Equality
Alliance for Justice
Alliance for Youth Action
American Atheists
American Federation of Teachers
American Humanist Association
American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC)
Americans for Democratic Action (ADA)
Americans United for Separation of Church and State
Asian Americans Advancing Justice - AAJC
Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance, AFL-CIO
Asian Pacific Policy and Planning Council
Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law
Bend the Arc: Jewish Action
Caneiwalk
Center for American Progress Action Fund
Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP)
Center for Responsible Lending
CenterLink: The Community of LGBT Centers
Civil Liberties & Public Policy
Clearinghouse on Women's Issues
Coalition of Labor Union Women
Committee for a Fair Judiciary (CFJ)
Communications Workers of America (CWA)
Community Catalyst
Daily Kos
Dallas Peace & Justice Center
Demand Justice
Demand Progress
Demos
Disability Rights Advocates
End Citizens United / Let America Vote Action Fund
Environmental Working Group
Equal Justice Society
Equality Arizona
Equality California
Equality Federation
Equality Maine
Equality Montana
Equality North Carolina
Equality Texas
Equality Utah
Fair Wisconsin
Faith Action Network - Washington State
Family Equality
Feminist Majority Foundation
Fenway Institute
For Our Future Action Fund
FORGE, Inc.
Forum for Equality
Freedom Oklahoma
Free Press Action
Freedom From Religion Foundation
FreeState Justice
Garden State Equality Action Fund
Gender Justice
Georgia Equality
GLMA: Health Professionals Advancing LGBTQ Equality
GLSEN
Housing Choice Partners
Human Rights Campaign
If/When/How: Lawyering for Reproductive Justice
In Our Own Voice: National Black Women's Reproductive Justice Agenda
Indivisible
Japanese American Citizens League (JACL)
Jewish Women International
Jobs With Justice
Juvenile Law Center
Labor Council for Latin American Advancement
Lambda Legal
LatinoJustice PRLDEF
Lawyers for Good Government
The Leadership Conference Education Fund
League of Conservation Voters
Legal Aid at Work
Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition
Matthew Shepard Foundation
MomsRising
MomsRising Together
Montana Gender Alliance
Montana Human Rights Network
Muslim Advocates
NAACP
NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. (LDF)
NARAL Pro-Choice America
NARAL Pro-Choice Connecticut
NARAL Pro-Choice Maryland
NARAL Pro-Choice Missouri
NARAL Pro-Choice North Carolina
NARAL Pro-Choice Texas
National Abortion Federation
National Action Network
National Association of Social Workers
National Center for Transgender Equality
National Coalition Against Domestic Violence
National Council for Incarcerated and Formerly Incarcerated Women and Girls
National Council of Jewish Women
National Domestic Workers Alliance
National Education Association
National Employment Law Project
National Equality Action Team (NEAT)
National Homelessness Law Center
National LGBTQ Task Force Action Fund
National Network of Abortion Funds
National Organization for Women
National Partnership for New Americans
National Partnership for Women & Families
National Women's Health Network
National Women's Law Center
Oil Change International
One Iowa Action
Organization for Black Struggle
Partnership for the Advancement of New Americans
People For the American Way
People's Action
Physicians for Reproductive Health
Population Connection Action Fund
Population Institute
Pride at Work
Progressive Turnout Project
Protect Our Care
RepresentUs New Mexico
Reproaction
SEIU
SIECUS: Sex Ed for Social Change
Silver State Equality-Nevada
SiX Action
Southeast Asia Resource Action Center
SPLC Action Fund
Stand Up America
Step Forward Strategies
The Taifa Group
The Womxn Project
TIME'S UP Now
Transgender Legal Defense and Education Fund
Treatment Action Group
True North Research
United Church of Christ, OC Inc.
United State of Women
United We Dream
URGE: Unite for Reproductive & Gender Equity
Violence Policy Center
Voices for Progress
We Testify
Women's March
Women's Health Center of West Virginia
Women's Law Project
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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