Oppose the Confirmation of Judicial Nominee Jeffrey Sutton

Action Needed:

On Thursday, Feb. 27, please call the special toll-free hotline, 1-888-508-2974, which will connect you to the U.S. Capitol switchboard. When connected, ask for your Senator's office and tell your Senator that the packing of federal courts by right-wing ideologues like Jeffrey Sutton must cease and that you expect them to vote NO on his confirmation when the vote occurs.

Update:

While the Senate is distracted with the extended debate on the nomination of Miguel Estrada to the D.C. Circuit, Senate Republicans are trying to slip through the deplorable nomination of Jeffrey Sutton to the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals without thoughtful debate. The Senate Judiciary Committee has approved the nomination and sent it to the full Senate for confirmation. All Democrats on the Judiciary committee, except Sen. Dianne Feinstein, voted against his nomination.

Background:

The Republican campaign to pack the appellate courts with conservative ideologues continues with the Judiciary Committee's approval of Jeffrey Sutton's nomination to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit after cursory examination of his record and ideology. Every Democrat on the committee, with the notable exception of Sen. Dianne Feinstein, voted to oppose the confirmation of this new "poster-boy" for the right-wing ideology of federalism.

Proponents of "federalism," or "states' rights," work to limit the power of Congress to require compliance with the federal civil rights laws and protections. Sutton's record shows him to be a leader in advocating this ideology. In fact, Sutton, as a practicing attorney, has personally argued before the Supreme Court in cases decided by 5/4 majorities that have severely limited protection against discrimination based on disability, race, age and religion. As an officer of the Federalist Society, he has advocated significant restrictions on congressional authority and praised Justices Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas.

Sutton's disturbing and enthusiastic activities on behalf of states' rights and the limitation of civil rights has resulted in more than 70 national civil rights groups and 375 state and local organizations opposing his confirmation. His work to undermine the Americans with Disabilities Act has most notably spurred the disability rights community to unprecedented activism against the nomination. However, his work to limit the Age Discrimination in Employment Act and the Violence Against Women Act and to limit protections against race discrimination demonstrate his zeal to further promote his right-wing ideology.

The Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, of which NOW is an executive committee member, has set up this special hotline because Sutton represents the beginning of a deluge of dangerous right-wing judicial nominees. It is imperative that Senators understand that this court-packing scheme must not succeed and that their constituents will not accept further narrowing of their constitutional rights. This nominee's record clearly shows him to be an enemy of civil rights protections.

Please call 1-888-508-2974 on Thursday, Feb. 27 and tell your Senator that the packing of federal courts by right-wing ideologues like Jeffrey Sutton must stop.