Civil and Human Rights Coalition: Senate Should Reject John K. Bush

WASHINGTON - June 7, 2017 - The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights today sent a letter to the Senate Judiciary Committee urging senators to reject President Trump's nomination of John K. Bush to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. 

The letter states in part, "Mr. Bush has a record of extreme partisanship and does not appear to possess the temperament needed to serve as an impartial federal judge.  Many of his writings were blog postings published under a different name so they were not previously associated with him before he disclosed these writings to the Committee.  We do not know if he disclosed these controversial blog postings before he was recommended to the President or if these writings were revealed before the administration's vetting process but they are certainly relevant to the Committee's consideration of his fitness for this lifetime appointment."

The letter states specific concerns about Bush's qualifications, including his record on women's rights, LGBT rights, campaign finance laws, and his partisan history.

"John K. Bush is unworthy of a lifetime appointment as a federal judge," said Vanita Gupta, president and CEO of The Leadership Conference. "His extreme ideology and record show a hostility to women and LGBT people, campaign finance reform, and Democrats. Federal judges should be able to rule with impartiality and fairness, which are two qualities it's clear Bush lacks. We urge the Senate to reject this nominee."

The Leadership Conference's letter to the Senate is available here.

The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights is a coalition charged by its diverse membership of more than 200 national organizations to promote and protect the rights of all persons in the United States. The Leadership Conference works toward an America as good as its ideals. For more information on The Leadership Conference and its 200-plus member organizations, visit www.civilrights.org.