Vermont Business Magazine Senators Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont) and Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) and Congressman Peter Welch (D-Vermont) issued the following statements Wednesday after US Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy announced his retirement.
Leahy: "I urge senators, the President, and the American people to consider the methodical and measured approach Justice Kennedy has taken for decades on the Court. I did not agree with many of his opinions, but I always respected his independence, and his willingness to defend the most vulnerable and recognize the innate rights of all Americans. If President Trump attempts to replace Justice Kennedy with an extreme nominee outside of the mainstream, we face the prospect of a Supreme Court that would systematically dismantle Justice Kennedy’s legacy on these issues – and do lasting damage to the constitutional rights of the most marginalized in our society.
|
Justice Kennedy informs president of retirement Justice Kennedy today advised his colleagues that he is submitting to the President a formal notification of his decision, effective July 31 of this year, to cease active status as an Associate Justice and to assume senior status. He said: “It has been the greatest honor and privilege to serve our nation in the federal judiciary for 43 years, 30 of those years on the Supreme Court.” He added that while his family was willing for him to continue to serve, his decision to step aside was based on his deep desire to spend more time with them. He said, too, that admiration for his colleagues on the Court means that he will retain warm ties with each of them in the years to come. Justice Kennedy was nominated by President Reagan, after Robert Bork failed to be confirmed by the Senate. Kennedy took his oath of office on February 18, 1988. |
"I am concerned that anyone who passes President Trump’s litmus tests for judges will not be capable of rising above politics and providing a check against this administration’s many excesses. I am concerned that the rights of consumers, workers and vulnerable Americans would be expendable in favor of the wealthy and the powerful. I am concerned that a woman’s right to choose has never been so at risk in the 45 years since Roe v. Wade. And I am concerned that, just as our country has embraced an individual’s right to marry whomever they choose, marriage equality is now at risk as well.
"Senate Republicans have a dreadful record in recent years of responsibly handling nominations to our courts. They have shown a willingness to break any and all rules in rushing to stack the courts with partisan ideologues. This includes the unprecedented refusal to consider a qualified, mainstream nominee of President Obama’s to this Court. They then took the unprecedented step of changing Senate rules to confirm an extreme far-right nominee to that stolen seat.
"I urge this President to change course and to consider the rights of all Americans, not just a few. I urge him to abandon his “short-list” of far-right, special interest-approved nominees. Under the McConnell Rule, there is no rush to fill this seat. The American people deserve a chance to have their voices heard. I urge the President to show the courage that President Obama displayed and to use the coming months to find a consensus, mainstream nominee who can receive bipartisan support in the Senate."
Sanders: "When President Obama nominated Merrick Garland, Republican leader Mitch McConnell said, 'The American people should have a voice in the selection of their next Supreme Court Justice.' We should listen to what Sen. McConnell said. President Trump should not nominate, and the Senate should not confirm, a Supreme Court justice until the American people have had the opportunity to make their voices heard in November.
"When it comes time to decide on a replacement for Justice Kennedy, I hope that my Republican colleagues who believe that women, not the government, have the right to control their own bodies will stand with those of us who oppose any nominee who would deny any woman the right to choose."
Welch: “Justice Kennedy’s retirement could cement a right wing court for a generation. All of us who care about civil rights, civil liberties, women’s rights, getting dark money out of politics and more should make our voices heard in any way we can. Immediately.”