NCLR statement on rushed confirmation of Justice Amy Coney Barrett to U.S. Supreme Court:
SAN FRANCISCO, CA — Today, the United States Senate voted along party lines to confirm Amy Coney Barrett to a lifetime appointment on the Supreme Court. The fast-tracked and highly-partisan process, which took place during the midst of the 2020 election, was one of the quickest confirmations in history and gave Senators only two weeks to understand more than two decades of the judge's legal philosophy and judicial fitness for the position. NCLR Executive Director Imani Rupert-Gordon issued the following statement in response:
"Today's action by the United States Senate is an affront to the American people and a threat to the credibility and integrity of the Supreme Court," said NCLR Executive Director Imani Rupert-Gordon. "Rushing this nomination through in the middle of a presidential election was fundamentally wrong and a travesty of the process of appointing Supreme Court justices. 60,000,000 Americans have already voted in this election.
The voters who are choosing the next President should also be the ones to choose the future direction of the Supreme Court. As a result of today's action, five of the nine justices on the Court have been appointed by presidents who lost the popular vote. No matter who is the winner on Election Day, Congress must explore options for reforming the Court and protecting our democracy."
Planned Parenthood Illinois Action: Confirmation of Amy Coney Barrett threatens Illinoisans access to health care, reproductive rights and LGBTQ rights
(CHICAGO) - Today, Senator Mitch McConnell led the unprecedented and illegitimate confirmation of Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court. This rush to fill the seat before passing any pandemic relief showcases a complete disregard for the global health crisis that has infected more than 8 million people in the U.S., taken the lives of more than 220,000, and left 7.9 percent of the workforce without a job. The march to fill the seat also ignores that the election is already underway — millions of people have already voted.
Barrett spent her nomination hearing dodging questions on reproductive health care access, the Affordable Care Act (ACA), marriage equality, voting rights, and racial discrimination. But her judicial record, writings, and views are clear: she poses a direct threat to our reproductive health and rights, the ACA, and more.
Jennifer Welch, President and CEO of Planned Parenthood Illinois Action:
"Amy Coney Barrett's confirmation to the Supreme Court is a direct attack on the health and rights of Illinois residents and an insult to Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg's legacy. We stand united with Illinois' elected leaders who voiced their opposition to this rushed and unethical confirmation to the people's court mere days before the presidential election.
We are in the middle of a global pandemic and the court is hearing oral arguments about the Trump administration's attack on the Affordable Care Act lawsuit just one week after the election. The Supreme Court's decision in this case could have dire consequences for our state, stripping away health care access for thousands of Illinoisans and increasing the burden on our state's strained and underfunded social safety yet.
In addition, there are over a dozen cases waiting to be heard that would restrict or ban abortion at the federal level. While Illinois passed the Reproductive Health Act in 2019—which recognizes the fundamental right to abortion in Illinois in the event of Roe v. Wade being overturned—we are not immune to all judicial rulings this court could decide.
Judge Barrett's views on the ACA, marriage equality, access to birth control, and abortion rights are dangerous and out-of-step with Illinois' values. Planned Parenthood Illinois Action will continue to fight for reproductive freedoms and access to high-quality health care for all."
