Issues: Supreme Court

NEW VIDEO: What Did We Learn From Gorsuch Today? (Not Much)

Judge Neil Gorsuch spent most of his first day testifying before the Judiciary Committee hearing by dodging important questions about his judicial philosophy and his stance on Supreme Court precedents. He tied himself in knots trying to hide his far right, pro-corporate record and prevented senators from holding a thorough hearing on his nomination.

The repeated dodges from Gorsuch today leaves us with only his record in private practice and his time as a federal judge to examine. During that time, he overwhelmingly sided with corporations and the wealthy at the expense of working Americans, he prevented women from accessing birth control, and he proved to be a Republican loyalist, leaving the country rightfully questioning if he can serve independently on the Supreme Court.

Gorsuch’s Supreme Court hearings aren’t off to a good start, and senators – and the American public – are rightfully calling his judgment into question.

WATCH American […]

Read more after the jump.

Bridge Project Video: Why Gorsuch Is Wrong For the Supreme Court

Bridge Project is today releasing a new video highlighting Neil Gorsuch’s right-wing record and strict adherence to an anti-worker, pro-corporate agenda.

There’s a reason hard-line conservatives and right-wing groups cheered Gorsuch’s nomination: on issues from the environment to women’s healthcare access and workers’ rights, Gorsuch has always stood outside the mainstream, aligning himself with corporate interests and the far-right fringe.

American Bridge President Jessica Mackler released the following statement:

“Neil Gorsuch is a right-wing ideologue who was hand-picked for the Supreme Court by far-right groups and the corporations and big donors that bankroll them. They want Gorsuch on the Court because he’s consistently elevated corporate concerns over the best interests of everyday Americans — and that’s precisely why Neil Gorsuch cannot be confirmed.”

Watch “Why Gorsuch Is Wrong For the Supreme Court” here:

Read more after the jump.

Eddie Vale Statement On Cruz’s Commitment to SCOTUS Obstructionism

American Bridge Vice President Eddie Vale issued the following statement on Ted Cruz’s indication he’ll carry on Republicans’ unprecedented obstructionism with respect to the Supreme Court vacancy:

“For a self-described ‘principled conservative,’ servile Trump puppy dog Ted Cruz sure spends a lot of time obstructing the democratic process and ignoring his constitutional obligations. The Republican Party’s disdain for any form of compromise created Trump, and Cruz is making it clear that the Party of Trump isn’t changing.”

Read more after the jump.

New Digital Ads on Senate Obstructionist Chuck Grassley As He Returns to Washington

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, April 4, 2016
CONTACT: Dawn Le, 202-549-6798

 

New Digital Ads on Senate Obstructionist Chuck Grassley As He Returns to Washington
Ads Show Grassley’s Hypocrisy and Capitulation to Donald Trump’s “Delay, Delay, Delay” Strategy

Returning from a two-week recess full of testy confrontations with constituents upset over his strict obstructionism on the Supreme Court vacancy, Senator Chuck Grassley is now the subject of Bridge Project digital ads highlighting his baffling hypocrisy on the issue.

American Bridge Vice President Eddie Vale released the following statement on Bridge Project’s ads featuring Grassley’s past advocacy of a fair nomination process:

“Senator Grassley has already stained his legacy by embracing petty partisan politics on the Supreme Court vacancy. We’d hoped his recess constituent interactions would trigger a moment of clarity and cause him to realize that voters just want him and his colleagues to do their job, but he sadly appears as committed as ever to partisan […]

Read more after the jump.

New Digital Ads on Senate Obstructionist Mitch McConnell As He Returns to Washington

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, April 4, 2016
CONTACT: Dawn Le, 202-549-6798

 

New Digital Ads on Senate Obstructionist Mitch McConnell As He Returns to Washington
Ads Show McConnell’s Hypocrisy and Capitulation to Donald Trump’s “Delay, Delay, Delay” Strategy

Returning from a two-week recess full of testy confrontations with constituents upset over his strict obstructionism on the Supreme Court vacancy, Senator Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is now the subject of Bridge Project digital ads highlighting his baffling hypocrisy on the issue.

American Bridge Vice President Eddie Vale released the following statement on Bridge Project’s ads featuring McConnell’s past advocacy of a fair nomination process:

“Senator McConnell has already stained his legacy by embracing petty partisan politics on the Supreme Court vacancy. We’d hoped his recess constituent interactions would trigger a moment of clarity and cause him to realize that voters just want him and his colleagues to do their job, but he sadly appears as committed as ever […]

Read more after the jump.

New Digital Ads on Senate Obstructionists As They Return to Washington

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, April 4, 2016
CONTACT: Dawn Le, 202-549-6798
 

New Digital Ads on Senate Obstructionists As They Return to Washington
Ads Show Republicans’ Hypocrisy and Capitulation to Donald Trump’s “Delay, Delay, Delay” Strategy

Returning from a two-week recess full of testy confrontations with constituents upset over their strict obstructionism on the Supreme Court vacancy, Senators Mitch McConnell, Chuck Grassley, and Orrin Hatch are now the subject of Bridge Project national and state-level digital ads highlighting the senators’ baffling hypocrisy on the issue.

American Bridge Vice President Eddie Vale released the following statement on Bridge Project’s ads which feature the senators’ past advocacy of a fair nomination process:

“Senators McConnell, Grassley, and Hatch have stained their respective legacies by embracing petty partisan politics on the Supreme Court vacancy. We’d hoped when they were face-to-face with their constituents back home, it would trigger a moment of clarity and cause them to realize that voters just want them […]

Read more after the jump.

RECAP: Grassley’s Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Trip Home to Iowa

Senate Judiciary Committee Chair (& Strict Obstructionist-in-Chief) Chuck Grassley had hoped for a warm welcome home. Using the brief Senate spring break, he planned to explain to Iowa voters why the Senate is refusing to hold hearings and blocking the confirmation process for President Obama’s Supreme Court nominee, Judge Merrick Garland. But things got off to a rocky start…

 

Roll Call: Grassley Can’t Escape Supreme Court Debate

By Bridget Bowman, March 29, 2016

Sen. Charles E. Grassley can’t seem to escape the debate over the Supreme Court nominee.

Back in Iowa for recess Monday, he faced 19 questions at two town hall meetings and a televised speech from Democratic hopeful Hillary Clinton calling him out for his unwillingness to give President Barack Obama’s nominee, Merrick Garland, a hearing or a vote.

Then there was that pesky Ben Franklin, a protester dressed like the Founding Father and following Grassley to events, urging the senator to […]

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 […]

Read more after the jump.

REPORT: Strict Obstructionists

The GOP’s Politicization of Their Constitutional Duty

Read the report here:

 

Not even an hour after Justice Antonin Scalia’s death was confirmed, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell announced that Senate Republicans would forego their governing duty by refusing to replace the Supreme Court justice while President Obama was still in office.

Falsely claiming that there had never been a Supreme Court nominee confirmed in an election year, McConnell demanded President Obama to not nominate a replacement for Justice Scalia, vowing to not hold hearings on anyone the president put forward.

Senate Republicans were quick to fall into line behind McConnell, including the entire Senate Judiciary Committee, led by Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley. High-ranking Republican senators have said they would not even meet privately with an Obama nominee.Aiding and abetting in this unprecedented obstruction is a bevy of conservative groups, backed by billionaire funders.

Leading the opposition to fill the vacancy is the ironically […]

Read more after the jump.

How Soon Ed Meese Forgets…

Ed Meese III is an Emeritus Fellow  at the Heritage Foundation and former US Attorney General under the Reagan administration.

WHAT HE SAID THIS WEEK:

In a Fox News op-ed today approving of the Senate Republicans’ obstruction to fill the Supreme Court vacancy, Ed Meese III, the former US Attorney General under Reagan said:

“Let the people decide the next justice with their votes for the next president — whoever it is. Don’t deny them that right this close to what is sure to be an historic election, that will not only determine where the American people want their country to go but the direction they want their court to take.”

WHAT HE SAID IN 2004

As an Emeritus Fellow at the Heritage Foundation, Ed Meese blasted Senate Democrats for pulling “shenanigans” with judicial nominees:

“Certain senators have made every effort to deprive President Bush of his power to appoint judges with the advice […]

Read more after the jump.