From AU’s Wall of Separation blog:
Despite compelling, credible testimony yesterday from Professor Christine Blasey Ford who spoke at length that Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh had sexually assaulted her when they were teenagers, the Senate Judiciary Committee today in a party-line vote agreed to advance Kavanaugh’s nomination to the full Senate for review.
But there’s a silver lining: Because of last-minute discussions between senators about a possible FBI investigation, it’s unclear when the full Senate will vote—it could still be next week as originally planned, or it could take another week or so. But no matter what, now is our last chance to stop Kavanaugh.
That’s why it’s vital that you contact your senators now and urge them to vote “NO” on Kavanaugh’s confirmation.
Kavanaugh has a long record of hostility to church-state separation and supports the misuse of “religious freedom” to undermine LGBTQ rights, women’s rights, and the rights of religious minorities.
He’s advocated for public-school sponsored prayers and using taxpayer money to fund religious activities, including vouchers for private, mostly religious schools. He’s indicated support for allowing employers to cite religious beliefs as justification to deny women access to birth control. He’s even praised former Chief Justice William Rehnquist’s view that the “wall [of separation between church and state] metaphor was wrong as a matter of law and history.”
This alone should disqualify him from the Supreme Court.
But over the last few remarkable weeks, we have all heard the serious allegations about Kavanaugh’s sexual abuse of women. Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) today bucked the party line and called for an investigation before a Senate floor vote is held. We fully support further investigation, but Kavanaugh’s troubling record remains.
This process has been flawed from the start: cherry-picked documents released, withheld records from his time in the Bush administration and a so-far woefully inadequate investigation of sexual misconduct allegations.
It’s clear that President Donald Trump and Senate leadership don’t want the truth to come out about Kavanaugh. Even after the recent allegations, Religious Right leaders like Ralph Reed warned of political retribution if the nomination is derailed.
It’s up to us to raise our voices to stop this nomination once and for all. Even if you’ve done so before, please contact your senators immediately!
AU has made opposing Kavanaugh’s confirmation a top priority because of the threat he poses to church-state separation, and because we truly believe we can stop this dangerous nomination. With Flake’s call for further investigation and news reports indicating key Senators have yet to make up their minds, they need to hear from you right away—church-state separation is on the line!