Read a PDF of our statement here.
Judge Gorsuch Must Prove Himself To Be a Justice for All Americans
Earlier today, the U.S. Senate voted in favor of confirming Judge Neil Gorsuch’s nomination to the Supreme Court, despite serious concerns about his views on a wide range of critical legal issues, including many with profound implications for civil rights. LDF President and Director-Counsel Sherrilyn Ifill issued the following statement:
“During his Senate confirmation hearings, Judge Gorsuch repeatedly portrayed himself as an independent and impartial interpreter of the law, despite a 10-year record of judicial decision-making that lays bare his hostility to anti-discrimination statutes, his staunch support for the death penalty, and his dangerously restrictive views of the federal government’s power to protect workers, consumers, and the environment. With his appointment to the Supreme Court, Judge Gorsuch must now prove that he will be a judge for all people, one who understands the court’s critical role in realizing the Constitution’s promise of equal justice under the law. Of course, regardless of the Supreme Court’s composition, the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. will continue to zealously advocate for racial justice and civil rights on behalf of our clients – not only in the Supreme Court, but in all federal courts.”
###
Founded in 1940, the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. (LDF) is the nation’s first civil and human rights law organization and has been completely separate from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) since 1957—although LDF was originally founded by the NAACP and shares its commitment to equal rights. LDF’s Thurgood Marshall Institute is a multi-disciplinary and collaborative hub within LDF that launches targeted campaigns and undertakes innovative research to shape the civil rights narrative. In media attributions, please refer to us as the NAACP Legal Defense Fund or LDF.
