July 09, 2018 01:54 PM UTC

Trump Has Chosen SCOTUS Nominee

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• by: Colorado Pols

UPDATE #4: NARAL Pro Choice Colorado’s Karen Middleton:

“President Trump has said he will only nominate Justices who will overturn and gut Roe v. Wade, and we take him at his word. Judge Kavanaugh recently argued that a young immigrant woman, despite meeting all of Texas’ burdensome requirements to get an abortion, should not be able to exercise her right to choose to terminate her pregnancy. He has also argued against contraception coverage under the Affordable Care Act.

These arguments are not consistent with Colorado values. Colorado is a pro-choice state that strongly supports the right to choose abortion established in Roe v. Wade. Colorado’s US Senators Gardner and Bennet must not just oppose, but actively work to block Judge Kavanaugh from being confirmed to the Court.

The rights and lives of Colorado women depend on it.”

UPDATE #3: Rep. Diana DeGette:

“We are deeply concerned about how Judge Brett Kavanaugh might rule on cases involving women’s health in general, privacy, and access to the full range of reproductive care services, including abortion care – a right that since 1973 has been protected under the Constitution. Donald Trump’s actions on these matters since assuming the Presidency have been decisively anti-reproductive rights, and his administration has pushed anti-woman policies through regulations as well as nominating and installing anti-choice candidates for health-related positions. We urge the Senate to scrutinize Judge Kavanaugh closely to ensure that Americans’ fundamental rights, including the right to choose, will be protected.

President Trump’s reported short list of nominees was selected through a highly partisan process driven by a clear anti-choice agenda. Already, many are questioning the lasting damage this nomination may cause to the reputation of highest court in the land, as well the implications for Americans’ fundamental rights and civil liberties. This nomination is deeply troubling for women across the country. All Americans deserve nothing short of full transparency regarding Judge Kavanaugh’s views, intentions and attitudes toward what the Court stands for: Equal Justice Under Law.”

Daniel Ramos at One Colorado, the state’s principal LGBT rights group:

“President Trump continues to pursue his anti-LGBTQ agenda with his nomination of Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the U.S. Supreme Court. With this nomination, basic rights and protections LGBTQ Coloradans rely on are now at serious risk — including the ability to adopt and foster children, protection from discrimination in employment, housing, and public spaces; and the ability to get health insurance even if you have a pre-existing condition.”

“I am calling on Colorado’s U.S. Senators, Michael Bennet and Cory Gardner, to fulfill their constitutional responsibility to thoroughly and closely examine this nominee and make sure he unequivocally acknowledges and respects full equality under the law for LGBTQ Americans. The stakes are too high for this process to be rushed or taken lightly.”

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UPDATE #2: Woops! President Donald Trump kept this one amazingly close to the vest all day, revealing his choice of Judge Brett Kavanaugh–an unabashedly partisan pick sure to harden battle lines–moments ago:

Kavanaugh, 53, is a judge on the US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit and Yale Law School graduate who previously served in both Bush administrations. He also worked on independent counsel Ken Starr’s investigation of President Bill Clinton…

Democrats are warning that Trump’s nominee would jeopardize some of progressives’ most important policy priorities in recent decades — including rulings that legalized abortion and same-sex marriage, as well as former President Barack Obama’s health care law.

Republicans hold 51 seats in the Senate, though Arizona Sen. John McCain has been absent as he battles brain cancer. Trump’s nominee can win confirmation with only Republican votes, but attention will quickly shift to two moderate GOP senators, Maine’s Susan Collins and Alaska’s Lisa Murkowski, who are supportive of abortion rights.

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UPDATE: News reports seem to indicate that U.S. Appeals Court (Philadelphia) Judge Thomas Hardiman is the pick. Hardiman has been described as a “Second Amendment extremist.” He is widely believed to have been the runner-up to Neil Gorsuch when Trump selected the Colorado judge to replace Antonin Scalia. Hardiman is a colleague of Trump’s sister — Judge Maryanne Trump Barry — in the 3rd District Court of Appeals.

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From Politico:

President Donald Trump has reached a final decision on who he will nominate to the Supreme Court, two sources familiar with the matter said on Monday, just hours before the president plans to do a prime-time reveal from the White House.

The sources did not divulge who the pick will be, but sources earlier on Monday said Judges Thomas Hardiman and Brett Kavanaugh had emerged as the most likely contenders for the Supreme Court.

President Trump is expected to formally announce his choice tonight.