Over 100 Human Rights Groups Demand the Senate Reject Kavanaugh

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More than 100 civil and human rights groups signed a letter sent to the United States Senate on Tuesday demanding that Congress reject new Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh.

The letter was sent on the letterhead of the “Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights” which is an umbrella group with over 200 other member groups.

The letter said:

“Many of our organizations opposed Judge Kavanaugh’s nomination to the D.C. Circuit, and our fears and concerns have been realized. Judge Kavanaugh has not served as a neutral and fair-minded jurist. He has served as a conservative ideologue who lacks the impartiality and independence necessary to sit on the highest court in the land.”

President Donald Trump nominated Judge Kavanaugh to replace retiring Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy. For decades Kennedy had been considered a swing vote between the liberals and conservatives. He was often the deciding vote in high-profile cases where the court’s opinion was otherwise evenly split.

The protesting organizations include NARAL Pro-Choice America, the National Bar Association, American Atheists, Human Rights Campaign and NAACP. These groups have all expressed grave concerns that if his nomination is confirmed by the Senate, Judge Kavanaugh would vote to overturn the landmark 1973 abortion case Roe v. Wade as well as threaten access to healthcare by voting to overturn the Affordable Care Act.

The protesting groups also expressed their belief that Judge Kavanaugh has a “lack of commitment to racial justice” and “hostility to the rights of both workers and immigrants.”

A 2009 law article by Judge Kavanaugh has also caused a great deal of worry about whether he supports oversight of Trump’s actions. In this article he said that “we should not burden a sitting President with civil suits, criminal investigations, or criminal prosecutions” and “the country loses when the President’s focus is distracted by the burdens of civil litigation or criminal investigation and possible prosecution.”

The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights and NARAL in particular are leading aggressive campaigns against Kavanaugh’s nomination.

NARAL President Ilyse Hogue also referred to a recent Pew Research poll which showed that Americans are deeply divided on Kavanaugh’s nomination as proof of the nominee’s “dangerous record has clearly disturbed people and should send clear warning signs to all Senators.”

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Leo Vidal

I am a lifelong Democrat with a passion for social justice and progressive issues. I have degrees in writing, economics and law from the University of Iowa.