To: Sen. Mark Warner (VA-1) and Sen. Timothy Kaine (VA-2)
Senators KAINE and WARNER - We, CITIZENS OF VIRGINIA, Ask That You Join the Filibuster of the Nom...
We request that our Senators, TIM KAINE and MARK WARNER, oppose the nomination of Judge Neil Gorsuch to Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court (SCOTUS) by joining in the filibuster of the nomination and by taking other appropriate action as needed. Judge Gorsuch's nomination should not be confirmed because: 1) given his conservative judicial philosophy, he will likely be a regressive voice on the Court, limiting civil rights and environmental and worker protections, allowing corporate interests to supersede employee rights, and preventing campaign finance reform, and 2) Republicans, contrary to their Constitutional duty, denied Judge Merrick Garland (who was nominated to SCOTUS by President Obama by right and obligation) a hearing and a vote, and they should not be rewarded for their misconduct.
Why is this important?
For signature by CITIZENS OF VIRGINIA only please as the Senators are only influenced by their own constituents!! Check MoveOn for a petition addressed to your Senator.
The Gorsuch nomination is scheduled for vote in the Senate on April 7, 2017, so, if you oppose the nomination, please sign this petition at your earliest convenience.
Senator Warner announced on April 3, after this petition was posted, that he opposes Judge Gorsuch's nomination and will join in the filibuster of that nomination by Senator Kaine and others. I hope you'll still sign this petition to show Senators Kaine and Warner that we support their position and want them to hold fast to that decision despite political pressure and dealings that will inevitably occur over the next few days. Please take a moment to call Senator Kaine (202-224-4024) and Senator Warner (202-224-2023) to tell them of your opposition to and your support for their opposition to Judge Gorsuch. OUR CALLS DO MATTER as I've been told by every legislator with whom I've spoken in recent months!
The following are but a few of the objections and concerns raised by the nomination of Judge Gorsuch to the Supreme Court:
1) Hearings and vote on President Trump's SCOTUS nominees must not proceed unless President Trump and his campaign and transition teams are cleared of collusion with Russian officials/operatives who interfered in our 2016 Presidential Election.
2) Republicans effectively stole the SCOTUS seat. President Obama, by right and obligation, nominated Judge Merrick Garland to the SCOTUS. Republicans, contrary to their Constitutional duty and Senate rules and protocol, denied Judge Garland a hearing and a vote. This unprincipled behavior should not be condoned or rewarded. Confirming Judge Gorsuch in these circumstances sets a dangerous precedent and signals that Republicans can act contrary to our Constitution and be rewarded for their misconduct.
3) Judge Gorsuch was nominated by President Trump to fulfill his promise that the next Associate Justice will have an ultra conservative judicial philosophy like Justice Antonin Scalia and will vote to "automatically overturn" Roe v. Wade.
4) While Judge Gorsuch claims to be apolitical, his nomination is supported by a publicity campaign funded by millions of dollars of "Dark Money" from largely unknown, apparently conservative, sources (reportedly linked to a network tied to the Koch brothers).
5) Confirmation of Judge Gorsuch, who is 49, will have a profound and enduring effect on our Nation as his philosophy and predilections will likely shape the views of the Court for more than 30 years.
6) During his confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee, Judge Gorsuch was evasive and refused to answer legitimate questions designed to reveal his judicial philosophy.
7) Judge Gorsuch is a proponent of "originalism" (and will apply the words of the U. S. Constitution as they were understood at the time they were written - 1789 - when slavery existed and women could not vote) and "textualism" (and will look solely to the objective meaning of the text of a statute rather than to the legislative intent or statutory purpose), an approach not likely to protect and forward the civil rights of women and minorities.
8) As evidenced by his prior opinions as a Judge of the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals and his extrajudicial writings, Judge Gorsuch will most certainly undo our country's progress in so many areas and prevent its progress in others, in part, as outlined below :
** Women's Reproductive Rights - See a) Burwell v. Holly Lobby Stores in which Judge Gorsuch interpreted the Religious Freedom Restoration Act to permit a corporate employer to refuse to provide its employees with medical insurance including comprehensive contraceptive coverage because it conflicted with the corporate employer's religious beliefs and b) Assisted Suicide by Judge Gorsuch (2006), where he expresses skepticism of the Constitutional basis of a woman's right to choose abortion.
** Separation of Church and State - In Holly Lobby, Judge Gorsuch essentially found that the religious beliefs of a closely held corporation supersedes the beliefs and the rights of employees.
** Worker Health & Safety - See TransAm Trucking v. Admin Review Board in which Judge Gorsuch sided with the corporate employer and found that a Dept. of Labor rule that a driver can't be fired for failing to operate his vehicle because of safety concerns did not prohibit the firing of an employee who temporarily left a disabled truck trailer along the roadway in sub-zero temperatures to seek shelter at a nearby location in the truck cab.
** LGBTQ Rights - Judge Gorsuch's reasoning in the Holly Lobby case has already been used to allow individuals to discriminate against the LGBTQ community (See EEOC v. R.G. & G.R. Funeral Homes, Inc.). Judge Gorsuch has also expressed admiration for Justice Antonin Scalia, also an "originalist" who wrote that our Constitution DOES NOT protect against discrimination on the basis of gender or sexual orientation. As Judge Gorsuch is also a proponent of originalism, it follows that he will not likely be inclined to protect and extend the civil rights for the LGBTQ community.
** Environmental Protection - Judge Gorsuch has repeatedly denied court challenges brought by environmental protection groups against those who damage our environment. See, for example, Wilderness Society v. Kaine County. He also will likely restrict the ability of federal agency experts to implement federal laws enacted to preserve our planet and halt the progress of climate change. See, for example, Gutierrez-Brizuela v. Lynch.
** Campaign Finance Reform - In his concurring opinion in Riddle v. Hickenlooper, Judge Gorsuch indicated that making a campaign contribution is a "basic constitutional freedom . . . enjoying significant relationship to the right to speak . . .. Thus, it seems unlikely tha...
The Gorsuch nomination is scheduled for vote in the Senate on April 7, 2017, so, if you oppose the nomination, please sign this petition at your earliest convenience.
Senator Warner announced on April 3, after this petition was posted, that he opposes Judge Gorsuch's nomination and will join in the filibuster of that nomination by Senator Kaine and others. I hope you'll still sign this petition to show Senators Kaine and Warner that we support their position and want them to hold fast to that decision despite political pressure and dealings that will inevitably occur over the next few days. Please take a moment to call Senator Kaine (202-224-4024) and Senator Warner (202-224-2023) to tell them of your opposition to and your support for their opposition to Judge Gorsuch. OUR CALLS DO MATTER as I've been told by every legislator with whom I've spoken in recent months!
The following are but a few of the objections and concerns raised by the nomination of Judge Gorsuch to the Supreme Court:
1) Hearings and vote on President Trump's SCOTUS nominees must not proceed unless President Trump and his campaign and transition teams are cleared of collusion with Russian officials/operatives who interfered in our 2016 Presidential Election.
2) Republicans effectively stole the SCOTUS seat. President Obama, by right and obligation, nominated Judge Merrick Garland to the SCOTUS. Republicans, contrary to their Constitutional duty and Senate rules and protocol, denied Judge Garland a hearing and a vote. This unprincipled behavior should not be condoned or rewarded. Confirming Judge Gorsuch in these circumstances sets a dangerous precedent and signals that Republicans can act contrary to our Constitution and be rewarded for their misconduct.
3) Judge Gorsuch was nominated by President Trump to fulfill his promise that the next Associate Justice will have an ultra conservative judicial philosophy like Justice Antonin Scalia and will vote to "automatically overturn" Roe v. Wade.
4) While Judge Gorsuch claims to be apolitical, his nomination is supported by a publicity campaign funded by millions of dollars of "Dark Money" from largely unknown, apparently conservative, sources (reportedly linked to a network tied to the Koch brothers).
5) Confirmation of Judge Gorsuch, who is 49, will have a profound and enduring effect on our Nation as his philosophy and predilections will likely shape the views of the Court for more than 30 years.
6) During his confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee, Judge Gorsuch was evasive and refused to answer legitimate questions designed to reveal his judicial philosophy.
7) Judge Gorsuch is a proponent of "originalism" (and will apply the words of the U. S. Constitution as they were understood at the time they were written - 1789 - when slavery existed and women could not vote) and "textualism" (and will look solely to the objective meaning of the text of a statute rather than to the legislative intent or statutory purpose), an approach not likely to protect and forward the civil rights of women and minorities.
8) As evidenced by his prior opinions as a Judge of the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals and his extrajudicial writings, Judge Gorsuch will most certainly undo our country's progress in so many areas and prevent its progress in others, in part, as outlined below :
** Women's Reproductive Rights - See a) Burwell v. Holly Lobby Stores in which Judge Gorsuch interpreted the Religious Freedom Restoration Act to permit a corporate employer to refuse to provide its employees with medical insurance including comprehensive contraceptive coverage because it conflicted with the corporate employer's religious beliefs and b) Assisted Suicide by Judge Gorsuch (2006), where he expresses skepticism of the Constitutional basis of a woman's right to choose abortion.
** Separation of Church and State - In Holly Lobby, Judge Gorsuch essentially found that the religious beliefs of a closely held corporation supersedes the beliefs and the rights of employees.
** Worker Health & Safety - See TransAm Trucking v. Admin Review Board in which Judge Gorsuch sided with the corporate employer and found that a Dept. of Labor rule that a driver can't be fired for failing to operate his vehicle because of safety concerns did not prohibit the firing of an employee who temporarily left a disabled truck trailer along the roadway in sub-zero temperatures to seek shelter at a nearby location in the truck cab.
** LGBTQ Rights - Judge Gorsuch's reasoning in the Holly Lobby case has already been used to allow individuals to discriminate against the LGBTQ community (See EEOC v. R.G. & G.R. Funeral Homes, Inc.). Judge Gorsuch has also expressed admiration for Justice Antonin Scalia, also an "originalist" who wrote that our Constitution DOES NOT protect against discrimination on the basis of gender or sexual orientation. As Judge Gorsuch is also a proponent of originalism, it follows that he will not likely be inclined to protect and extend the civil rights for the LGBTQ community.
** Environmental Protection - Judge Gorsuch has repeatedly denied court challenges brought by environmental protection groups against those who damage our environment. See, for example, Wilderness Society v. Kaine County. He also will likely restrict the ability of federal agency experts to implement federal laws enacted to preserve our planet and halt the progress of climate change. See, for example, Gutierrez-Brizuela v. Lynch.
** Campaign Finance Reform - In his concurring opinion in Riddle v. Hickenlooper, Judge Gorsuch indicated that making a campaign contribution is a "basic constitutional freedom . . . enjoying significant relationship to the right to speak . . .. Thus, it seems unlikely tha...