National Black Justice Coalition Opposes Kavanaugh for Supreme Court

July 10, 2018 05:38 AM

Contact:

Courtney Culmer | 713-248-2464 | Communications@nbjc.org

WASHINGTON, D.C. (July 9, 2018) – The National Black Justice Coalition (NBJC) today responded to President Donald Trump’s nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to the United States Supreme Court. The announcement was made on the anniversary of the ratification of the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution, which guarantees all persons the right to equal protection under the law. NBJC is the nation’s leading civil rights organization dedicated to the empowerment of Black lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and same gender loving (LGBTQ/SGL) people, including people living with HIV/AIDS.

NBJC Executive Director David J. Johns released the following statement in response to the nomination:

“The Supreme Court of the United States is the last line of defense for our civil and human rights, and it serves as a crucial check on the other branches of government. The opportunity to serve as a Supreme Court Justice should be afforded to a fair-minded and independent jurist. This is especially true in the case of Justice Kennedy’s successor, who is likely to be the most consequential nomination for a Supreme Court Justice in decades–and Brett Kavanaugh is not that jurist. For Black LGBTQ/SGL people and other individuals from communities that are continually and systematically marginalized, decisions made by the Supreme Court have the capacity to impact and impede our ability to survive and thrive. It is beyond hyperbole; the stakes are too high to allow this nomination to proceed. Our lives and the future of generations to come are on the line.”

“Without a strong federal government and a Supreme Court that protects the rights of oppressed individuals and communities through its decisions, legal protections at the state and local level will continue to be under attack. On the 150th Anniversary of the ratification of the 14th Amendment of the US Constitution, purposed with providing equal protection under the law, Trump chose to nominate an individual who has a long track record of doing the exact opposite. Kavanaugh’s decisions as a federal appeals judge prove he is only interested in advancing party politics while serving the wealthy and powerful at the expense of the rights of working people, consumers, racial and ethnic minorities, LGBTQ/SGL people, and women seeking access to health care.”

“Senators have united against extreme Supreme Court nominees in the past, including for the very seat that President Trump wants to fill, and with the civil and human rights of many Americans hanging in the balance, this is yet another opportunity for them to stand up for their constituents. Trump chose Brett Kavanaugh from his shortlist of morally questionable allies – the same list that included Neil Gorsuch and other ideologues who have proven records of bias and a lack of regard for autonomy. It is our hope and expectation that all Senators will put country over party and use all the tools available to them to stop President Trump’s plan to take over the Supreme Court.”