LGBT and civil rights groups have
condemned President Donald Trump's pick to the Supreme Court.
Trump on Monday announced he had
nominated Brett Kavanaugh to replace Justice Anthony Kennedy, who
announced his retirement from the bench last month.
“In keeping with President Reagan’s
legacy, I do not ask about a nominee’s personal opinions,” Trump
said in announcing his pick. “What matters is not a judge’s
political views but whether they can set aside those views to do what
the law and the Constitution require. I am pleased to say that I have
found, without doubt, such a person. Tonight, it is my honor and
privilege to announce that I will nominate Brett Kavanaugh to the
United States Supreme Court.”
Kavanaugh, 53, was joined by his wife,
two daughter and parents at the White House announcement. He has
served on the federal bench for 12 years. As a Republican lawyer, he
helped investigate President Bill Clinton under independent counsel
Kenneth W. Starr.
Equality California Executive Director
Rick Zbur called Kavanaugh a “dangerously radical opponent of LGBTQ
equality, reproductive rights, affordable healthcare and fair
elections.”
David Cole, legal director at the
American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), called on Senators to ask
Kavanaugh “whether he agrees that constitutional law evolves with
the times, as it did in recognizing that segregation is
unconstitutional, that sex discrimination violates the Equal
Protection Clause, and that marriage equality is constitutionally
guaranteed.”
GLAAD noted in a statement that
conservative groups opposed to LGBT rights such as the Federalist
Society, Family Resource Council (FRC) and the Heritage Foundation
have supported or promoted Kavanaugh's career as a judge.
“If confirmed, Brett Kavanaugh will
have the chance to codify President Trump and Vice President Pence’s
dangerous anti-LGBTQ record and the agenda of anti-LGBTQ groups into
law for decades to come,” said Sarah Kate Ellis, President and CEO
of GLAAD. “Like Neil Gorsuch before him, Kavanaugh is an
ideologically driven pick designed to create an activist Supreme
Court that will undermine rights and protections for women, LGBTQ
people, immigrants, and all vulnerable people. Americans do not want
or need 40 more years of Trump’s values.”