100+ Advocacy Groups Tell Grassley: No Hearing Date For Supreme Court Pick Kavanaugh Until 1M+ Pages Of Records Are Released
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 20, 2018
CONTACT: [email protected]
100+ ADVOCACY GROUPS TELL GRASSLEY: NO HEARING DATE FOR SUPREME COURT PICK KAVANAUGH UNTIL 1M+ PAGES OF RECORDS ARE RELEASED
WASHINGTON, D.C.—On Friday, Demand Justice, joined by more than 100 advocacy organizations, sent a letter to Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley and Ranking Member Dianne Feinstein urging that Chairman Grassley not schedule a confirmation hearing for Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh until the more than 1 million pages of records from his years as a political lawyer in the George W. Bush White House are turned over to the Senate.
In order for the Senate to thoroughly conduct a full and fair review of Kavanaugh’s nomination, senators must be given access to approximately 429,870 pages and 667,824 electronic files of potentially responsive records that could shed light on Kavanaugh’s role in shaping key Bush administration policies, ranging from abortion to national security.
Just yesterday, the Senate refused to confirm Trump nominee Ryan Bounds to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit due to concerns over Bounds’ deeply troubling, past writings. This underscores the importance of the Senate having access to all of a nominee’s records.
Today’s letter also highlights the bipartisan calls––including from Senator Grassley himself––for the release of 170,000 pages of responsive records prior to the consideration of Elena Kagan’s Supreme Court nomination. The letter emphasizes that the Senate’s constitutional responsibility to advise and consent remains the same for the consideration of Kavanaugh’s nomination and that this duty cannot be met until the Senate has been given access to every single page of every record that it is entitled to see.
Signatories on the letter:
Action NC
Advocates for Youth
Alliance for Justice
American Association of University Women
American Civil Liberties Union
American Constitution Society
American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME)
American Federation of Teachers
Americans for Democratic Action (ADA)
Americans United for Separation of Church & State
Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance (APALA)
Autistic Self Advocacy Network
Battle Born Progress (NV)
Bend the Arc Jewish Action
Blue Future
Center for American Progress
Center for Biological Diversity
Center for Reproductive Rights
Change Begins With Me (Indivisible San Diego District 52)
CHOICES. Memphis Center for Reproductive Health
Citizen Action of the Hudson Valley (NY)
Citizen Action/Illinois
Communications Workers of America (CWA)
Connecticut Citizen Action Group
Constitutional Accountability Center
CREDO Action
Daily Kos
Demand Justice
End Citizens United
Equal Rights Advocates
Equality California
Every Voice
Faith in Indiana
Faith in Public Life
Family Equality Council
Freedom for All Americans
Gender Justice
Generation Progress
Health Care for America Now
Healthy and Free Tennessee
Herd on the Hill
Human Rights Campaign
Human Rights Watch
Indivisible Acton (MA)
Indivisible CA-33
Indivisible Carbondale (IL)
Indivisible Elk Grove Township (IL)
Indivisible Evanston (IL)
Indivisible Illinois
Indivisible Metro East (IL)
Indivisible Norman (OK)
Indivisible South Suburban Chicago
Indivisible Western Springs (IL)
Iowa Citizen Action Network
Iowa Main Street Alliance
Jobs With Justice
Joint Action Committee
Lambda Legal
League of Conservation Voters
Maine Women’s Lobby
Mainers for Accountable Leadership
MomsRising
Muslim Advocates
NARAL Pro-Choice America
National Action Network
National Center for Lesbian Rights
National Center for Transgender Equality
National Council of Jewish Women
National Education Association
National Employment Law Project
National Employment Lawyers Association
National Equality Action Team (NEAT)
National Health Law Program
National Institute for Reproductive Health (NIRH)
National Partnership for Women & Families
National Resources Defense Council
National Women’s Law Center
New Jersey Citizen Action
Organize Florida
Orinda Progressive Action Alliance (CA)
People For the American Way
Postcards for America – MN
Progress Iowa
Progress Virginia
Progressive Change Campaign Committee
Progressive Indivisible Berwyn (IL)
Progressive Turnout Project
ProgressOhio
Protect Our Care
Service Employees International Union (SEIU)
Sierra Club
Stand Up America
States United to Prevent Gun Violence
Strong Economy For All Coalition (NY)
The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights
The Washington Bar Association Young Lawyers Division
TIME’S UP
Toledoans United for Social Change (OH)
United Vision for Idaho
Universal Health Care Action Network
Violence Policy Center
Voices for Progress
Working America North Carolina
WV Citizen Action Group
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