A few moments ago, Justice Anthony Kennedy announced his retirement from the Supreme Court.
As you well know, this Supreme Court vacancy puts issues that affect every single American in the balance — from a woman’s right to choose to equal rights under the law to privacy and our civil rights.
Given the high stakes of this seat, which I believe will determine the fate of many fundamentally protected constitutional rights, the American people should have a say in this decision.
The midterms are in just four months. We cannot and we should not vote on a nominee until after the American people have a chance to make their voices heard at the ballot box.
We’ve already seen the President’s list of potential SCOTUS nominees and they are non-starters. The American people deserve a Supreme Court justice who will fight to protect your rights, not conservative ideologues.
I will not sit back and accept them to serve on the highest court in the land — and I hope you won’t either.
I know from personal experience — as a prosecutor and as a beneficiary of the landmark Brown vs. Board ruling desegregating our nation’s schools — that the decisions handed down by the court touch every aspect of our lives. The stakes don’t get any higher. Americans must be heard.
Thanks for all you do.
Kamala Harris
U.S. Senator, California
