Do Not Confirm Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court

We learned today that President Trump has once again nominated an extreme candidate with views far outside of mainstream America to be the next Supreme Court Justice. With this nomination, the rights and liberties conferred to us by the court, from the right to a legal and safe abortion to gay marriage, are now under siege. If confirmed by the Senate, Brett Kavanaugh will have the power to radically reshape American life and civil liberties for decades to come.

Conservative interest groups are lining up to support Trump’s nominee. Dark money groups backed by the billionaire Koch Brothers are purchasing millions of dollars in airtime to boost Kavanaugh’s confirmation. Kavanaugh should never have been confirmed to the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals, and he certainly should not be confirmed to the Supreme Court.

I vehemently oppose this nominee. Given the numerous investigations into the 2016 election, in particular evidence of wrongdoing on the part of individuals within the Trump campaign, I believe that we must postpone all confirmations until the conclusion of the Mueller investigation, for any justice nominated by Trump and approved by Congress may one day preside over an appeals related to this investigation. Moreover, I believe that in the interest of our democracy, the Senate should refuse to hold hearings for any nominees until after the midterm elections, so as to give the American people a chance to have their say.

Make no mistake, Trump’s replacement for outgoing Justice Anthony Kennedy will undo a half century of progress. The American people need the Senate to oppose this nomination.