Menendez on Justice Kennedy’s Retirement

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) released the following statement on the retirement of Supreme Court’s Justice Anthony Kennedy.

“I call upon the American people to rise up, make your voices heard, and tell the Senate that you will not accept another extreme Supreme Court Justice.

“Since 1988, Justice Anthony Kennedy has served with distinction on the U.S. Supreme Court.  While I wish him all the best in his retirement from the bench, his vacancy takes an enormous toll on those of us concerned with the quality of our court system in the Trump era.

“Unfortunately, Senate Majority Leader McConnell has spent the last year and a half packing the lower courts with extremist nominees, many who were not qualified and hold views antithetical to our American values.

“Two years ago, with more than nine months remaining in President Obama’s term, Senate Republicans held a Supreme Court seat hostage refusing to even hold a hearing on Judge Merrick Garland so that President Trump and the Heritage Foundation could handpick a far-right justice who would do their bidding. In the short time that Justice Gorsuch has been on the bench we’ve already seen him vote to uphold a Muslim Ban, gut public sector unions, and make it easier for states to kick people off voter rolls. Now, with the retirement of Justice Kennedy, reproductive rights and the newly-gained rights of LGBTQ Americans lie in the hands of an extremist President.

“The American people must demand that the President’s nominee reflects Justice Kennedy’s legacy as a voice for both moderation and for progress.”