Over 130 Organizations Demand Senators Pause SCOTUS Confirmation Until After Presidential Inauguration

WASHINGTON, Sept. 26 -- United We Dream issued the following news release on Sept. 25:

Today, over 130 organizations, led by United We Dream and the UndocuBlack Network, sent a joint letter to the Senate, demanding the chamber wait until after the presidential inauguration to confirm a new Supreme Court justice. Shortly after the passing of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg last week, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell announced President Trump's Supreme Court nominee would receive a vote on the Senate floor.

United We Dream, the UndocuBlack Network, and over 130 organizations, urge Senators to consider the real-life implications filling the Supreme Court vacancy would have on the lives of immigrant and other marginalized communities across the country.

Sanaa Abrar, Advocacy Director of United We Dream, said: "The Senate must not rush through voting on a Supreme Court justice nominee before an election. Every major issue we care about - from DACA and TPS to health care and reproductive rights - is impacted by this Supreme Court vacancy and will be affected by whoever fills that seat. The rights of immigrants are at risk with this Supreme Court justice confirmation. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has prioritized confirming far-right judicial nominees over protecting the lives of immigrants. By refusing to bring key legislation to the floor like the Dream and Promise Act, or the HEROES Act which would provide COVID-19 relief to all Americans, including immigrants, he is putting our lives at risk. It's imperative that no vote takes place to confirm a Supreme Court justice nominee until after the presidential inauguration next year to be able to move forward with a fair and just confirmation process."

Patrice Lawrence, Co-director of UndocuBlack Network, said: "As immigrants, as Black undocumented people, as womyn, queer, disabled, indigenous people all across the mainland of the United States and its territories, we all live multi-issue lives. Senators must recognize that an unstable future is not in the best interest of anyone, not even their own families. We have too much at stake in the judicial system, including most recently the lives of 300,000 TPS holders and their 270,000 U.S. citizen children whose fate may soon be partly decided by the next Supreme Court of the United States appointee. The Supreme Court of the United States holds enormous power. In the past few years especially, we have seen how this power, if wielded in the wrong hands can not only thwart our pursuit for justice and freedom but can be deadly. For this reason, it is imperative that we allow the 2020 elections to proceed and a nomination for the vacant seat of Supreme Court Justice must only be brought to the senate in the 117th Congress. This is the honest, ethical and fair thing to do."