With so many eyes turned to the current U.S. Supreme Court vacancy, and given the importance of children’s rights (to our climate cases and beyond) and the critical duty of our courts to protect the constitutional rights of all Americans, Our Children’s Trust is releasing a statement and judicial nominee questions for the Senate Judiciary Committee to ensure that the next judge who is appointed to a lifetime seat on our highest court is committed to protecting the rights of our children.
We believe that it is in the best interest of justice to hold the confirmation hearings after the next president is inaugurated and with adequate COVID-19 precautions in place. However, if the hearings do move forward, we have specific questions the nominee should address.
Specifically, the judge who fills Justice Ginsburg’s seat must carry forward her dedication to equal protection of the law, including and especially for the most vulnerable members of our society - our children. Now is the time to finally protect children, of all races, genders, religions, and cultures, and to ensure for “Our Posterity” a system of government that checks the will of the political majority when such will denies a politically powerless minority their personal security, safety, and a livable future. Children cannot vote. They have no voice in our electorate. The courts have a duty to serve as the constitutional protectors of our nation’s youth. We want to share with you our statement and questions we have respectfully requested members of the Senate Judiciary ask the judicial nominee which fall under the following three categories:
- Children’s Access to Article III Courts
- Constitutional Rights of Equal Protection for Children
- Posterity Clause and Being a Good Ancestor
Download our statement and the specific questions that should be posed to the nominee on protecting children’s rights here. Learn more about our position here.
With confirmation hearings looming, you can contact your legislators today and ask them to ensure any nominee will uphold the constitutional rights of children. We ask that you reach out to Senate Judiciary Committee members and urge them to ask the judicial nominee questions on children’s rights and the nominee’s commitment to protecting our children and future generations. With just a few minutes of your time, you can help to ensure that important questions pertaining to the rights of our children are prioritized!
Download our Supreme Court Nominee Action Toolkit here to get started.
We thank you for your unwavering support of our youth plaintiffs, children across our country, and future generations.
With gratitude,
The team at Our Children’s Trust
