Media reports indicate that President Donald Trump and Senate Republicans are moving swiftly to fill the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s seat – and that means Americans United is acting fast, too.
Trump has said he plans to nominate a woman to the seat and that he might announce a name as early as the end of this week. Four names have been floated on Trump’s short list: Amy Coney Barrett, Allison Jones Rushing, Barbara Lagoa and Kathryn L. Todd. Barrett, Rushing and Lagoa are currently judges who sit on federal courts of appeals (all three are Trump appointees). Todd is deputy counsel to Trump in the White House.
Americans United has conducted detailed research on all of these potential candidates and more than two dozen others whom Trump has identified as potential nominees. Barrett, for example, was on the short list for the seat that went to Brett Kavanaugh, and during that process, we collected a lot of information about her record on church-state issues. (Spoiler: It’s not good.) We’ve combed through the others’ records as well, and rest assured that we’ll keep digging. If there’s relevant information out there, we will find it and be ready to share it with legislators on Capitol Hill, the media and the public when an announcement is made.
Much is at stake in this nomination. Freedom of religion and our rights are at risk. As the only national organization dedicated solely to defending the separation of religion and government, Americans United intends to play a leading role as this process plays out.
We’ll keep you updated. Watch this space, sign up for our emails and follow us on social media @americansunited to stay informed throughout this process.
