February 6, 2016 - NHLA Opposes Supreme Court Nominee Neil Gorsuch

NHLA OPPOSES SUPREME COURT NOMINEE NEIL GORSUCH
Coalition opposes efforts to short-circuit Senate’s deliberative process

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The National Hispanic Leadership Agenda, a coalition of 40 of the nation’s preeminent Latino advocacy organizations, stands in opposition to the nomination of Judge Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court of the United States.

It is the President's duty to nominate, and the U.S. Senate's duty to confirm, justices whose primary objective and motivation is to uphold the rule of law and preserve the liberties afforded by the Constitution. Judge Gorsuch’s record causes us to question whether he would be fair and impartial.

As articulated in its Hispanic Public Policy Agenda, NHLA maintains that a fair and independent judiciary is critical to the preservation of Latinos’ civil rights. Nominees to the U.S. Supreme Court should, therefore, be committed to preserving or expanding civil rights and other legal protections. Judge Gorsuch’s record on issues impacting women, workers, and LGBTQ people sends a clear signal that he would not bring a fair perspective to the court. In contrast, his confirmation to the U.S. Supreme Court would pose a serious threat to civil rights and civil liberties.

NHLA is deeply concerned with Judge Gorsuch’s ability to act independently and with the purest intentions of upholding the rule of law without outside influence or political motivations, particularly given his ties to private business and right-wing organizations. This nomination is another example of President Trump’s attempts to divide our country and dilute the protections afforded under the law to minorities and working families.

“The Supreme Court plays a critical role in our democracy to ensure that the necessary checks are in place to avoid abuse of power by the executive or legislative branch of our government. Rulings on critical policy issues such as women’s rights, immigration, voting rights, labor laws, and LGBTQ equality, among others, impact the daily lives of the 58 million Latinos living in the U.S. and its territories, not to mention our entire country,” said Hector Sanchez, Chair of the NHLA and Executive Director of the Labor Council for Latin American Advancement. “Judge Gorsuch has repeatedly gone out of his way, in case after case, to rule against workers and in favor of big business. At a time when working families struggle to make ends meet, and Latino and Latina workers face some of the worst abuses and exploitation in the workplace, we cannot afford to have a Supreme Court that looks out for wealthy businessmen while kicking hard-working families in the knees.”

In addition to concerns related to President Trump’s Supreme Court nominee, NHLA has opposed other nominees that the President has appointed, including Senator Jeff Sessions, Andrew Puzder, and E. Scott Pruitt, among others, whose policy positions are detrimental to the Latino community. NHLA is dismayed that their confirmation processes have been rushed beyond what is reasonable to allow for proper investigation into potential conflicts of interest and their suitability for the positions that they have been nominated to fill. Nominations to the U.S. Supreme Court should face even greater scrutiny considering they are lifetime appointments and NHLA, therefore, opposes attempts to bend Senate rules or otherwise rush the current nomination.

NHLA calls on Congress to use its due diligence to ensure that all nominees are fit and qualified to fulfill the responsibilities that they will be charged with. The Trump administration and 115th Congress must be held to the same standards of transparency and respect for the constitution that we expect from every administration and Congress.

“As a civil and human rights organization, LatinoJustice PRLDEF recognizes that the minimum qualifications for any member of the judiciary be that they show a willingness to ensure that the federal courts remain committed to enforcing individual rights guaranteed by the Constitution. For all of these reasons, at this time LatinoJustice PRLDEF opposes the nomination of Judge Gorsuch to the U.S. Supreme Court,” said Juan Cartagena, President and General Counsel, Co-Chair of NHLA’s Civil Rights Committee.

“We would urge the Senate to vote against Gorsuch for Supreme Court to build not to disrupt our society's progress to improve health for women with access to contraceptives and family planning, for our families with environmental policies to decrease climate change, and to increase diversity in the health professions workforce with affirmative action,” said Dr. Elena Rios, Co-Chair of NHLA’s Health Committee and President and CEO of the National Hispanic Medical Association.

“Judge Gorsuch’s judicial record against women and the LGBTQ community calls into question his commitment to uphold the constitutional right of all people to make the best healthcare decisions for themselves and their families - including the decision to become a parent or to terminate a pregnancy. We will not allow our bodies to be treated as political battlegrounds. The full range of reproductive care services is critical to the health and well-being of the 28 million Latinas, and their families, in the U.S. We oppose the nomination of Gorsuch, who, through his record, has demonstrated an inclination to roll back the progress we have made in advancing a vision of a society in which reproductive justice - in all its dimensions - is a reality for everyone,” said Jessica González-Rojas, Co-Chair of NHLA’s Health Committee and Executive Director of the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health.

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ABOUT THE NATIONAL HISPANIC LEADERSHIP AGENDA

The National Hispanic Leadership Agenda is composed of 40 of the leading national and regional Latino civil rights and public policy organizations and other elected officials, and prominent Latinos Americans. NHLA coalition members represent the diversity of the Latino community – Mexican Americans, Puerto Ricans, Cubans, and other Latino Americans. NHLA’s mission calls for unity among Latinos around the country to provide the Latino community with greater visibility and a clearer, stronger influence in our country’s affairs. NHLA brings together Latino leaders to establish policy priorities that address, and raise public awareness of, the major issues affecting the Latino community and the nation as a whole. For more information, please visit: www.nationalhispanicleadership.org.

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