Washington, D.C. — As the Senate prepares to vote on the nomination of Kentucky U.S. District Judge Justin Walker to fill a vacancy on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, Maggie Jo Buchanan, director of Legal Progress at the Center for American Progress, issued the following statement:
Instead of focusing the Senate’s attention on addressing the many crises facing our country—from long-overdue police reform to the health and economic devastation being caused by the coronavirus pandemic—Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) is prioritizing the appointment of Justin Walker, a family friend and Brett Kavanaugh’s protégé, to the D.C. Circuit.
This is yet another effort by Senate Republicans, in close partnership with President Donald Trump, to pack the courts with extreme ideologues who have little judicial experience but don’t hesitate to flaunt their partisan conservative credentials. The Senate should reject Walker, who has not only publicly supported taking away health care from millions of Americans but also made extreme comments indicating support for unchecked presidential power.
Giving him a seat on what is considered America’s second most important court is a mistake that Americans will regret for years.
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