Civil Rights Groups Rally To Defeat Court Nominee

BALTIMORE, MD
The NAACP issued an immediate opposition on Monday, July 9 to President Donald Trump’s nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to be Associate Justice of the Supreme Court.

The following day, a press conference was called to begin rallying the troops to oppose the nomination. It featured Kristen Clarke, president and executive director of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law; Derrick Johnson, president and CEO of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP); and Reverend Al Sharpton, founder and President of the National Action Network

In a tersely worded press statement released within minutes of Trump’s announcement, the NAACP called Kavanaugh “a dangerous ideologue whose extreme views on civil rights would solidify a far right majority on the Supreme Court…This prospect is unacceptable to the American people, and the NAACP is ready to lead the fight of a generation.”

“The NAACP knows Judge Kavanaugh well. We opposed his confirmation to the D.C. Circuit for good reason.  In his 12 years on the bench, he has proven us correct. He has been a strong and consistent voice for the wealthy and the powerful. Over and over again, he has ruled against civil rights, workers’ rights, consumer rights, and women’s rights.

“With a Justice Kavanaugh on the Supreme Court, we could see reversals of hard-won gains securing equal opportunity in education, employment and housing.

“The NAACP has understood the importance of fair-minded justices since 1930 when we helped defeat a Herbert Hoover nominee to the Supreme Court, John Parker. We will fight this Trump nomination with everything we’ve got. Our state conferences, branches and units are fully engaged to tell their Senators that our civil rights hang in the balance and that Kavanaugh must be defeated.

“To each and every Senator, we say:  This is THE civil rights vote of your career.  We will be watching closely. Make no mistake – we are in the fight of our lives, and we hope you are prepared for battle.”