Maryland – Monday, October 26th, the Maryland Democratic Party released the following statement from Chairwoman Yvette Lewis, following the Senate’s confirmation of Judge Amy Coney Barrett:
“Today’s confirmation of Judge Barrett is infuriating, deeply concerning, and a reminder of what’s at stake in this election. Throughout her career, Judge Barrett has shown a complete disregard for the rights and health of hard-working Americans. In her hearing, she refused to say that racial voter suppression is an issue, refused to say that climate change was real, and refused to say if a president should commit to the peaceful transfer of power. A refusal made even more troubling by the fact that President Trump has repeatedly sought to undermine the outcome of our election.
Let’s be clear, the reason Judge Barrett was nominated by President Trump is to overturn the Affordable Care Act, and to roll back women’s reproductive rights. The President has said so repeatedly, and I take him at his word. Barrett has repeatedly criticized the ACA, and a woman’s right to choose; calling Justice Roberts’s reasoning to uphold the ACA “beyond its plausible meaning.” She showed continued hostility towards these fundamental rights during her hearing when she declined to say there was precedent for the ACA, or that Roe v. Wade was decided correctly.
Judge Barrett would not even say that Medicare was constitutional; with over 1 million Marylanders who rely on the program, her confirmation poses a real threat to those most in need. There is no place for these extreme views on the Supreme Court — Barrett’s absolute lack of regard for precedent or the well-being of Americans should have been disqualifying.
This is nothing short of a blatant power grab during a presidential election. If the Senate did not have time to pass desperately needed COVID-19 relief, they should not have pushed through a Supreme Court nomination against the will of the American people. I hope that the American people see this for what it is, and vote Donald Trump and his Republican Senators out of office.”
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