WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Senate Judiciary Committee wasn’t even finished hearing testimony on the nomination of Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the U.S. Supreme Court when Lindsey Graham railroaded her onto the agenda for a final confirmation vote. He knows that he has no time to spare to make his goal of a final Senate floor vote just days before the election.
Amy Coney Barrett couldn’t be a more dangerous choice for women, families, and the future of our democratic freedoms. Her record speaks for itself and shows that she is not someone who will work on behalf of the American people. In fact, she has consistently proven she will not hesitate to suppress our civil rights and freedoms.
She has been outspoken in her opposition to the Affordable Care Act and called for the “barbaric legacy” of Roe to end. She took thousands of dollars from a group that was designated an anti-LGBTQIA+ hate group and affirmed a ruling that allowed a company to segregate its employees by race. Judge Barrett repeatedly ruled against the rights of immigrants, said Title IX protections do not extend to transgender Americans, and wrote that Supreme Court justices should not follow precedent with which they disagree.
Graham and McConnell know that if Donald Trump loses the election, and the Republicans lose their Senate majority, they will face tough questions from their constituents that they cannot answer.
Why have they enabled Trump to divert the work of the Senate away from the urgency of Covid relief for so long? Why should a lame-duck Senate be allowed to radically redefine the Supreme Court? Why are they hijacking the Senate agenda in the middle of a global pandemic to seat Amy Coney Barrett on the Supreme Court—where she can enshrine their opposition to abortion rights, equal pay, paid leave, affordable health care, voting rights, consumer protections, and other progressive policies for generations to come?
We know the answer. It’s because they want to hijack democracy and steal another Supreme Court seat for Donald Trump. They don’t want to be held accountable for any of their actions or take the time to listen to what the overwhelming majority of this country has to say.
But as Kamala Harris would say, “we’re speaking.” We’re speaking up for democracy, equality, and justice.
NOW calls on Democrats in the Senate to do everything they can to stop this vote from coming to the floor this month. We will be turning our words into action with our votes—and the Senate must deal with the consequences.