WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Today, 12 days before the end of a presidential election, Lindsey Graham held an illegitimate Senate Judiciary Committee vote to advance Donald Trump’s Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett. The committee’s 10 Democrats refused to attend the sham vote. Rules of the Committee state that two members of the minority party must be present for a vote to be held, but Graham ignored the rules and held the vote anyway.
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Today, during the third day of her confirmation hearing for the Supreme Court, Judge Amy Coney Barrett twice refused to acknowledge and accept the reality of the climate crisis. Following her remarks yesterday that she is “not a scientist” and “has no firm views” on climate change, today she expanded to say she is “not competent to opine on what causes global warming or not,” doesn’t think that her “views on global warming or climate change are relevant to the job I would do as a judge,” and called climate change a “very contentious matter of public debate.”
During the second day of Judge Amy Coney Barrett’s confirmation hearing for the Supreme Court, Senator John Kennedy (R-LA) asked her if she has “opinions on climate change.” Barrett responded by saying she’s “not a scientist” and that she does not have “firm views on it.”
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Today, the Senate Judiciary Committee will begin the hearing for Donald Trump’s Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett. In just the past week, three Republican Senators, including two on the Senate Judiciary Committee, tested positive for COVID-19 following Trump’s super-spreader event announcing Barrett’s nomination. Two additional members of the committee, including Chairman Lindsey Graham, are refusing to be tested for COVID-19. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell delayed the full Senate’s return until October 19 but is allowing the Judiciary Committee to proceed with Barrett’s hearing. More than 210,000 Americans have died since the COVID-19 pandemic began, and a recent poll found that 74 percent of American voters want the Senate to prioritize COVID relief over confirming Trump’s Supreme Court pick.
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Today, Donald Trump announced he is nominating Amy Coney Barrett to fill the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s seat on the Supreme Court. Barrett has previously affirmed that judges do not have to adhere to judicial precedents, which represent decades of hard-fought advocacy to protect civil rights, human rights, healthcare, and the environment.
Oakland, CA -- Today, a Kentucky grand jury indicted only Brett Hankison, one of the three officers involved in the murder of Breonna Taylor, on three counts of wanton endangerment in the first degree.
In response to the grand jury’s decision, Sierra Club Executive Director Michael Brune released the following statement:
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Today, the United States surpassed 200,000 known deaths from COVID-19, with thousands more Americans contracting the deadly virus each day. Yet, as millions struggle to protect their health, find work, and pay their bills, Senate Republicans have continued to reject passing a coronavirus relief bill for more than four months. At the same time, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has continued to hold confirmation votes for dozens of Donald Trump’s judicial nominees and is now promising a floor vote for Trump’s yet-to-be-named nominee for the Supreme Court before the end of the year.
Washington, DC -- Tonight, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg passed away.
In response, Sierra Club Executive Director Michael Brune released the following statement:
“As we mourn the loss of Justice Ginsburg, we should reflect on her words that ‘Real change, enduring change, happens one step at a time.’
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Today, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the bipartisan Delivering for America Act (H.R. 8015), introduced by Rep. Carolyn Maloney (NY-12), Chairwoman of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform. This bill will protect the integrity of the U.S. Postal Service and the upcoming election by restoring and maintaining reliable, timely services and halting the detrimental service changes Postmaster General Louis DeJoy implemented last month. During his testimony to the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, DeJoy confirmed that he will not replace the 671 mail sorting machines that have been removed since July. Each machine is capable of processing as many as 39,000 pieces of mail per hour.
Washington, DC -- The Sierra Club is calling for the resignation of US Postmaster General Louis DeJoy following his actions to disrupt mail service and undermine the United States Postal Service. DeJoy is set to testify on his recent changes to USPS in front of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee tomorrow and the House Oversight Committee next week.
WASHINGTON, D.C.-- Today, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 51, Congressmember Eleanor Holmes Norton’s bill to establish D.C. statehood. This is the first time in history D.C. statehood has passed a U.S. chamber of Congress. The District’s only member of Congress, Congressmember Eleanor Holmes Norton, has no voting power on the floor of the House of Representatives.
WASHINGTON, DC -- Earlier this week, reports revealed that Attorney General William Barr gave the order to forcibly remove peaceful protesters outside of the White House. Barr’s directive led to a violent attack on the peaceful protesters, including the use of tear gas, pepper bullets, and batons. Barr has a well-documented record of opposing civil rights and in 2019, the Sierra Club released a statement opposing Barr’s confirmation as Attorney General.