Senate Judiciary Committee votes 11-to-10 to move Brett Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court Nomination to the full Senate for a vote in one week, after completion of an FBI investigation
Urge Members of the Senate Judiciary to Vote “No” on Kavanaugh
The Issue:
After four days of routine hearings which began on Sept. 4, and one day of an extraordinary hearing on Sept. 27, President Trump’s nomination of Judge Brett Kavanaugh to serve as an Associate Justice on the U.S. Supreme Court was sent to the floor of the full Senate with a positive recommendation.
The motion to send the nomination was approved by a party-line vote of 11 yeas to 10 nays, but a caveat at the last minute authored by Senator Jeff Flake (AZ) and Senator Chris Coons (DE) directed that the final vote on the nomination on the floor of the full Senate be delayed by one week, so that an FBI investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct by the nominee can be conducted and completed.
The NAACP has expressed grave concerns about this nomination and about the unnecessary and reckless rush to confirmation. This nomination is too important to rush.
The country desperately needs a fair-minded and independent jurist on the Supreme Court whose honesty and integrity are unquestionable.
We do not need a divisive, untrustworthy, biased ideologue with a demonstrated animus against women, who will further shake the American people’s faith in our nation’s justice system.
At least three women have alleged that Judge Kavanaugh illegally tried to force himself on them.
Until these allegations are thoroughly investigated and resolved by a non-partisan authority such as the FBI, the vote on the nomination should be suspended.
As the attorneys for one of the alleged victims wrote, “As the Judiciary Committee has recognized and done before, an FBI investigation of the incident should be the first step in addressing her allegations. A full investigation by law enforcement officials will ensure that the crucial facts and witnesses in this matter are thoroughly assessed in a non-partisan manner, and that the Committee is fully informed before conducting any hearing or making any decisions.”
In addition to the new allegations, we do not yet have a full accounting of the nominee’s complete policy beliefs, and there remain accusations of perjury before the US Senate Judiciary Committee thirteen years ago when he was being vetted for his current position on the US Court of Appeals.
Thus, we are left with a candidate of questionable morals whose incomplete record demonstrates him to be an extremist with no empathy for the very real concerns and needs of most working middle-class Americans or for the unique challenges and concerns of racial and ethnic minority Americans or other historically marginalized people.
The NAACP continues to strongly oppose Judge Kavanaugh’s nomination. By most estimates, Judge Kavanaugh’s vetting by the Senate Judiciary Committee included less than 10% of the documents from his legal and administrative carrier in the White House and the federal government. This is a huge disservice to the American people.
As a judge, Mr. Kavanaugh’s actions are bound by precedents of the Supreme Court.
However, Supreme Court Justices are able to overturn those precedents and apply their own interpretations of the Constitution.
Crucial information continues to be withheld on a Supreme Court nominee from review by the Senate Judiciary Committee, the full Senate and the American people. This nomination, and the US Supreme Court, are too important. We should not rush.
The nomination should only be considered by the Senate elected by the American people in November, 2018, after all the allegations have been resolved by trained, non-partisan individuals and after every Senator has had adequate time to fully review all of the relevant records; after the 116th Congress is seated in January 2019. The American people are owed the complete and unvarnished truth.
THE ACTION WE NEED YOU TO TAKE:
Sign the petition to Save SCOTUS
THE MESSAGE
- The allegations of sexual misconduct against Judge Kavanaugh should be fully investigated and resolved by a non-partisan authority such as the FBI, and a thorough and complete vetting of his character and beliefs should be conducted after the 116th Congress is sworn in before any votes on his confirmation take place.
- As the Judiciary Committee hearings have already made it clear, a number of questions regarding Judge Kavanaugh’s beliefs and his judicial temperament are still unclear and incomplete.
- The hearings did demonstrate, however, that Brett Kavanaugh does not empathize with the crucial needs of working middle-class Americans or the unique concerns of racial and ethnic minorities, the LGBT community, women, or others who comprise our diverse nation.
- His record shows a willingness to allow law enforcement to use the repugnant and counter-productive tactic of “racial profiling,” an open hostility to the Affordable Care Act and access to health care for all Americans, as well as sensible measures to protect Americans from the growing crisis of gun violence.
- This nomination is too important to rush. The country desperately needs a fair- minded and independent jurist on the Supreme Court, not a divisive and biased ideologue who will further shake the American people’s faith in our nation’s justice system.
REMEMBER TO CONTACT BOTH YOUR SENATORS!
For more information about why we must take this action, or about contacting your Senators, please download and read the full Action Alert.
