BLOG / September 26, 2020

No Confirmation Before Inauguration

By Emily Kirkland

Trump just announced that Amy Coney Barrett will be his nominee to replace Ruth Bader Ginsburg on the Supreme Court, just one week after RBG’s death.

In 2016, McConnell spent 11 months refusing to confirm Merrick Garland to the Supreme Court because the timing was “too close” to a presidential election. Now, Trump and McConnell are working together to rush through a nomination in just a few weeks.

If confirmed, Amy Coney Barrett will become part of a 6-3 conservative majority on the court, a majority that is likely to:

-Hand the election to Trump if the results are disputed
-Overturn Roe v Wade when the opportunity presents itself
-Eliminate the Affordable Care Act as soon as this year and leave millions of people without healthcare in the middle of a pandemic
-Block any progressive legislation advanced by a Biden administration on climate change, healthcare, workers’ rights or immigration
-Further entrench voter suppression across the country

The events of the last few days are a powerful reminder that we are up against a Republican party with no respect for fairness, democracy or the rule of law. The stakes are life-or-death. 

But none of this is a done deal. And – as usual! – Arizona could make all the difference. 

First, we need to let Senator McSally know that the decision to confirm Trump’s nominee is simply unacceptable. Just as importantly, we need to make it clear to Arizona voters that voting to confirm Coney Barrett will put McSally on the wrong side of the issues that matter. Join us outside Senator McSally’s office at 8:30 am on Tuesday, September 29.

Second, we need to make sure Senator Sinema and other Senate Democrats leave everything on the table in fighting this nomination, using ANY tools at their disposal. Sign our petition to them here.

Third, we MUST defeat McSally and Trump on November 3rd. The fact that Mark Kelly could be sworn in as soon as November 30, potentially upending the confirmation timeline, makes our work in Arizona that much more vital.  Sign up to text and call voters with Mi AZ now.

And finally, we must be ready to seize the moment if Democrats win, and take bold and decisive action to save our democracy as soon as a new President and Congress are in place. All options need to be on the table – from abolishing the filibuster to expanding the Supreme Court. Senators Kelly and Sinema are likely to be key swing votes on those issues. Arizona needs to be ready. 

To get there, though, we need to win, and win big. Let’s go. 

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