July 9, 2018 — For Immediate Release
NEW YORK — This evening the Trump administration nominated Brett Kavanaugh to fill the seat on the U.S. Supreme Court soon to be left vacant when Justice Anthony Kennedy retires at the end of this month. Drawn from a shortlist of ultra-conservative candidates that meet Trump’s ideological litmus test, Kavanaugh’s nomination was approved by far-right conservative organizations opposed to LGBTQ equality including the Heritage Foundation and Federalist Society which, like Trump, are opposed to LGBTQ equality and committed to rolling back civil rights protections. Kavanaugh’s nomination represents a serious threat to progress toward lived and legal equality for LGBTQ families, and civil rights protections in general.
Responding to the nomination, Family Equality Council CEO Rev. Stan J. Sloan said:
“At this critical moment in our nation’s history it is vital that the next Supreme Court justice is an independent and fair-minded person without political or ideological motivations — someone who will uphold the protections and values enshrined in our Constitution — for everyone. Family Equality Council joins with our allies fighting for LGBTQ rights, reproductive rights, healthcare, racial justice, immigrant rights, and voting rights in calling on the Senate to reject any nominee who does not meet these criteria.”
Family Equality Council chief policy officer Denise Brogan-Kator said:
“Justice Kennedy’s retirement gives President Trump the opportunity to decisively tip the balance of the Court against equality for generations to come, and Kavanaugh’s nomination reveals just how committed to that anti-equality agenda the Trump administration is. The Supreme Court has played a critical role in the advancement of legal protections for the LGBTQ community, and the confirmation of Kavanaugh would pose a significant threat to this progress toward greater equality.”
Family Equality Council urges all Americans to speak out in support of the U.S. Constitution’s promise of equality and justice for all, and to call their Senators to demand they reject the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh as the next U.S. Supreme Court justice.
About Family Equality Council
Family Equality Council advances legal and lived equality for LGBTQ families, and for those who wish to form them, through building community, changing hearts and minds, and driving policy change. Family Equality Council believes every LGBTQ person should have the right and opportunity to form and sustain a loving family, regardless of who they are or where they live. Learn more at familyequality.org.
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