Center for Popular Democracy Action Responds to Senate Republicans’ Rushed Supreme Court Confirmation With Renewed Resolve to Defend Democracy in This Election and Beyond

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: 
Donte Donald 
ddonald@fenton.com
404.791.1253

Washington, D.C. – The Senate Judiciary Committee confirmed Amy Coney Barrett as a Supreme Court Justice today. In response, Ana Maria Archila, Co-Executive Director of the Center for Popular Democracy Action, issued the following statement: 

“By confirming Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court, Senate Republicans have once again ignored the voices of the American people — but we will not be silenced. From the moment we realized that Republican leaders were going to force this sham confirmation — even as election season was already under way and millions of Americans had cast their ballots — we sprang into action to fight for our healthcare, for the rights earned by generations before us, and for our democracy. 

In the middle of a global pandemic, we showed up. Together, we rallied in front of the highest court, day after day. We crowded outside the homes and offices of US Senators to call on them to stand up for our rights and for our democracy. We brought out our protest signs, our megaphones, our families, our stories and our determination to protect one another. We showed up for women, for Black and Brown people, for immigrants, for people living with disabilities, for LGBTQ+ people, for the people dearest to us and for millions of people we don’t know. We showed up because we knew what was at stake — and we will keep showing up to protect one another and defend our democracy each time that it is under attack. 

Senate Republicans chose to ignore the majority of the country’s calls to wait until after inauguration to fill Ruth Bader Ginsberg’s Supreme Court seat, putting their insatiable quest for power ahead of the people they vowed to serve. As they callously rammed through this illegitimate Supreme Court nomination, Senator McConnell, Senate Republicans and President Trump showed their callous disregard for the pain and suffering of the millions of Americans who have been pushed into poverty during this pandemic. They’ve shown us who they are, and we will not forget. 

It’s abundantly clear — with the already high turnout of Democratic voters from states like Georgia and Texas — why Senate Republicans were hellbent on rushing through this confirmation process just over a week shy of election day. The Republicans are using Amy Coney Barrett’s confirmation to cling to power because they know that the majority of voters disagree with them. They’re desperately grabbing their power through the courts because they’re scared of our power — in the streets and at the ballot box. They are scared because over the past four years, time and time again, we’ve shown them who we are. We’ve shown them what we do when confronted with injustice. We show up — for each other and for our democracy. 

We will show up in record numbers at the polls over the next eight days — no matter what hurdles they put in our way. We won’t forget the times they’ve neglected people's suffering and ignored people's voices. We’ll remember their failures, and we’ll use them to fuel our movement through Election Day. And most importantly, we will continue to show up beyond Election Day to protect our healthcare, protect our families, and protect our democracy by fighting to rebalance the courts in favor of the people."

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Center for Popular Democracy Action promotes equity, opportunity, and a dynamic democracy in partnership with innovative base-building organizations, organizing networks and alliances, and progressive unions across the country. CPD Action builds the strength and capacity of democratic organizations to envision and advance a pro-worker, pro-immigrant, racial justice agenda.