Alliance for Justice Issues Statement on Presidential Primary Debates of 2020 Election

WASHINGTON, July 29 -- The Alliance for Justice issued the following statement by President Nan Aron:

With the second presidential primary debates of the 2020 election set to take place among Democratic candidates July 30 and 31, Alliance for Justice is calling for moderators and candidates to address the issue of federal courts and judicial nominations.

"As candidates prepare for the second debate, the Senate is preparing to confirm President Trump's 150th judicial nominee to a lifetime seat on the federal bench. The harm Trump is inflicting on our federal courts is clear.

"While we're starting to hear candidates discuss the federal courts and judicial nominations at candidate forums and on the campaign trail, there are still critical questions about how they will approach the nomination of federal judges that remain unanswered.

"Will they prioritize federal judicial nominations to remedy the damage done by Trump's court-packing? And will these candidates look for individuals who understand that the Constitution protects all our rights, rather than individuals who only seek to protect the rights of the powerful?"

To date, the Senate has confirmed over 130 of President Trump's judicial nominees - and 19 more could be voted on this week. Trump's judges have been overwhelmingly white and male. Many have records opposing voting rights, consumers' rights, LGBTQ rights, workers' rights, women's rights, reproductive rights, environmental safeguards, and more.

The first two years of Trump judicial nominations are documented in our AFJ report, Trump's Attacks on our Justice System (https://www.afj.org/reports/trumps-attacks-on-our-justice-system).