NWLC

Hi John,

Earlier this week, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) told reporters “I don’t think we have yet felt the urgency of acting immediately” for passing another COVID-19 relief bill.

Well that’s….interesting. Especially since more than 80,000 people have died, more than a million have been infected with COVID-19, and millions are out of work. This feels like the definition of urgent to me.

So if a global pandemic and ensuing economic disaster aren’t reason for urgency for Mitch to act, what is? Confirming extremist judges, it turns out. Remember when I wrote to y’all earlier and said that now really isn’t the time to be pushing judges forward when we have a whole crisis to solve? And that I’d be back as soon as Mitch tried to move a single judge forward?

Well, I’m back.

Because, as it turns out, Mitch McConnell is moving full steam ahead on confirming judges just as we were afraid he would. Enter: Justin Walker, Mitch McConnell’s protégé, and Trump’s latest pick for a lifetime position to the DC Circuit Court, the second most powerful court in the United States. Mitch McConnell forced members of the Senate Judiciary Committee to hold a confirmation hearing for Walker last week, even though, unlike Mitch, many of them are still trying to solve the whole national crisis sitch. So, if you haven’t already (or even if you have—it’s clear some senators need to hear from us again on this issue), please remind Mitch McConnell and the rest of the Senate: We cannot afford for the Senate to divert any time and energy away from responding to the calamities and suffering COVID-19 has caused. No more judicial appointments while we’re struggling to survive the COVID-19 crisis.

Not Walker, not runner, not anyone else.

Until next time Mitch does something bad,
Hannah Finnie (she/her/hers)
Senior Manager of Campaign and Digital Strategies
National Women’s Law Center

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Hannah Finnie
Date: April 28, 2020 1:31 PM
Subject: Tell Your Senators: No More Judicial Appointments During the COVID-19 Crisis

Dear John,

Sometimes my job involves translating politicians’ coded language that says one thing but actually means something totally different. But sometimes politicians tell you exactly what they’re trying to do, which makes my job a heck of a lot easier. And boy oh boy did Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) just lay it all out there. Just last week he made it clear that he’s prioritizing confirming extremist judges during the COVID-19 crisis:

Mitch McConnell’s personal mission is to leave no judicial vacancy behind, giving lifetime positions to extremist, right-wing judges who will shape our courts for decades to come. But let me make this clear: The federal judiciary is not facing a vacancy crisis that requires McConnell to prioritize confirming judges right now. He’s made sure of that: over the last three years, he’s worked to fill nearly every open position possible. The real emergency right now is how COVID-19 is devastating the health and financial stability of so many people across this country — and Congress’ response isn’t cutting it.

Mitch McConnell's priorities are clear, John: leave no vacancy behind even if it means leaving everyone else in the United States behind.

That’s just not right. Today, the National Women’s Law Center is calling on the Senate to stop confirming federal judges while we’re in the midst of a national and global crisis. File this one under: things we didn’t think had to be said, John.

Tell Your Senators: No More Judicial Appointments While We’re Struggling to Survive COVID-19.

Congress should focus on helping us survive the worst pandemic in recent history before turning to anything else.

TAKE ACTION

People are struggling to make rent, struggling to put food on the table, and struggling to survive. But Mitch McConnell is ignoring their pleas for help. Instead, he’s prioritizing his own wants and needs by working to confirm judges. It’s time for Congress to focus on coming up with real solutions that actually meet our needs. In other words, Senator McConnell: read the room. Now’s not the time to focus on confirming judges.

Anyway, I’m done ranting (for now) about Mitch McConnell and judges. But rest assured that the moment Mitch McConnell tries to move another judge forward to a lifetime appointment, I’ll be writing to y’all again because I am hardcore ~judging~ Mitch McConnell right now (you didn’t think I could make it through this email without making that joke, did you?!) This has also inspired me to watch the movie Judgment Day, which means it’s just about time to sign off. But before I do that, I’m going to email my senators to tell them that now’s not the time to push lifetime judicial appointments through the confirmation process because, well, there’s kind of this whole global pandemic going on. I hope you’ll join me.

In solidarity and lots and lots of judgement,
Hannah Finnie (she/her/hers)
Senior Manager of Campaign and Digital Strategies
National Women's Law Center

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