American Bridge Statement on Trump’s Judicial Nominee Gregory Katsas

Today the Senate voted to advance President Trump’s nominee, Gregory Katsas, for the powerful DC Circuit Court. Katsas has advised the President on everything from the ACA’s contraception coverage to the Muslim Ban to the DACA repeal.

Dawn Huckelbridge, director of American Bridge’s Women’s Rights Initiative, stated, “Gregory Katsas’s confirmation would be profoundly dangerous for women. He has argued that Congress – not doctors – can make judgments about risks to women’s health, he is dismissive of a woman’s constitutionally protected rights, and has even opposed access to contraception. This is part of Trump’s fast moving charge to remake the federal judiciary with extreme conservatives who are out of touch with the American people, and Katsas has no place on the DC Circuit Court.”

American Bridge’s Women’s Rights Initiative launched a digital campaign earlier this fall to counter Katsas’s nomination, including a digital ad that outlined how Trump was stacking […]

Read more after the jump.

American Bridge Women’s Health Initiative Launches Campaign Against Trump’s Anti-Choice Judicial Nominee

This morning, American Bridge launched a digital ad campaign against President Trump’s latest anti-choice judicial nominee Gregory Katsas before his first Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing. If confirmed Katsas would serve as United States Circuit Judge for the District of Columbia, which is well known as a “feeder” to the Supreme Court.

Emily Aden, director of American Bridge’s women’s health initiative Protect Women’s Health Care stated, “The single greatest threat Donald Trump poses to women is his ability to name federal judges. We cannot allow him to stack the courts with anti-choice conservatives like Gregory Katsas who will strip away women’s reproductive freedom for generations to come.”

View the ad here: https://youtu.be/cMyPFcp8Z4A

Read the full background report on Katsas here: http://bridgeproject.com/app/uploads/Gregory-Katsas-1.pdf

Read more after the jump.

Predictable Conservatives Obstructing for the Sake of Obstructing

Just as Senate Republicans have lined up to deny any Obama nominee a hearing and a vote, conservative outside groups are doing the same–to obstruct the entire judicial process and give the Republicans cover for not doing their job.

To these conservatives, it’s never mattered who President Obama nominates. They are dead set on obstructing and opposing anyone the President puts up, even if they once praised and affirmed Judge Merrick Garland.

See below for now & then comments by:

Ilya Shapiro, Cato Institute
Carrie Severino, Judicial Crisis Network
Ed Whelan, Ethics & Public Policy Center
Curt Levey, FreedomWorks Foundation
Jay Sekulow, American Center for Law and Justice

 

Judge Merrick Garland Flip-Flops

 

Ilya Shapiro – Cato Institute

Now

Ilya Shapiro: “Garland Has Shown An Alarming Amount Of Deference To The Government In His Years On The Important D.C. Circuit.” According to an opinion by Ilya Shapiro for CNN, “From my own perspective, Garland has shown an alarming […]

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NEW REPORT — By Fair Means Or Fowl: How The GOP’s Fight Against Lame Duck Confirmation Votes Bucks Tradition

Despite public calls for bipartisanship after their electoral gains, Congressional Republicans continue to use every means possible to block the Obama administration from governing. Beyond their legislative roadblocks, Republicans are obstructing routine approval of qualified and noncontroversial nominees and judges. A scan of recent history shows that confirming presidential nominees in a lame duck session has been as much a fall tradition as the pardoning of a turkey, until now.

President Obama has put forward quality candidates for consideration. There are dozens of critical vacancies in the executive branch, including the surgeon general, an assistant secretary for homeland defense, and a bevy of ambassadorships critical to our national security. Many of these nominees are long-overdue for a vote and their absence is impeding the government’s ability to function.

There are also currently dozens of judicial vacancies on the US Court of Appeals and US District Courts. The price we pay for these vacancies is steep. According to a recent Brennan Center for Justice study, judicial vacancies “slowed the court’s ability to resolve motions and try cases, which drove up litigation costs, caused evidence to go stale, made it harder to settle civil cases, and in some instances, pressured clients to plead guilty.”

Read more after the jump.