What’s Going On?
Last week, The Nation’s Ari Berman reported that Neil Gorsuch, President Donald Trump’s nominee to fill Justice Antonin Scalia’s seat on the Supreme Court, sent an email supportive of the nomination of Hans von Spakovsky to the Federal Election Commission. Von Spakovsky was instrumental in the spread of the myth of voter fraud and the implementation of strict voter ID laws that have made it much harder for many people, especially poor people and people of color, to vote. Berman cites a quote from six former lawyers in the voting-rights section of the FEC who called von Spakovsky “the point person for undermining the Civil Rights Division’s mandate to protect voting rights.”
As we watch Gorsuch’s confirmation hearing this week, it is crucial to keep in mind the vitally important cases that a new Supreme Court justice is likely to rule on in the coming years. Well beyond his connection to von Spakovsky, Gorsuch’s confirmation could threaten vital rights and protections. In its fact sheet on his nomination, the Alliance for Justice points to his history of criticizing those who used the courts to advance LGBT rights, consistently siding with corporations over the rights of workers and consumers (including ruling that corporations are “people” in the original Hobby Lobby case), and his longtime hostility to women’s right to reproductive-health care.
All of this comes, of course, after Republicans effectively stole the Supreme Court seat opened up after the death of Justice Scalia by refusing to even hold a hearing for President Obama’s nominee, Merrick Garland.
What Can I Do?
Unlike Trump’s other appointments, Democrats can filibuster a Supreme Court nominee. Keep calling your senators by using the Capitol switchboard at (202) 224-3121 or finding your senators’ direct numbers here, and demand that they block Gorsuch’s nomination. Then, use the form below to let us know how your call went and what else you might be planning to fight Trump’s Supreme Court pick. You can also use this form sign up for The Nation’s Take Action list. We’ll be in touch with more ways you can fight Trump’s extreme agenda.
