Duff joins coalition calling for Senate vote on Supreme Court nominee

NORWALK, Conn. – Sen. Bob Duff (D-25) has joined a coalition of state legislators and local government leaders representing 17 states calling on the United States Senate to give President Obama’s Supreme Court nominee a fair hearing.

The coalition has issued the following statement:

As members of a coalition of state legislators and local government leaders representing 17 states throughout the country, we stand with President Obama and support his nomination of Merrick Garland to be the next Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court.

Now that the President has fulfilled his constitutional duty, we urge the Senate to follow suit and give Judge Garland a fair hearing. We believe the responsibility to govern and ensure our Supreme Court can carry out their judicial responsibilities should supersede partisanship and politics. From Brown vs. Board of Education to ensuring marriage equality for all, the Supreme Court is the beacon for ensuring justice for all. The nomination of Judge Garland provides another opportunity for us to bend the moral arc of justice closer to all people in our nation.

We fully respect and hold in high regard the authority of the United States Senate to confirm the President’s nominees to the Supreme Court. To that end, despite efforts by some to obstruct the process, we urge the U.S. Senate to move forward with the confirmation process and afford Judge Garland the fullest and fairest consideration.

It is clear that Judge Garland is a distinguished jurist whose strong record and dedication to public service makes him a qualified nominee for the Supreme Court. Judge Garland has previously served as a clerk for the late Supreme Court Justice William Brennan, he served as Deputy Attorney General in the Justice Department and most currently as the Chief Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit — a position he was confirmed to by the U.S. Senate with a strong bipartisan vote of 76-23. Additionally, Judge Garland led the investigation and prosecution that brought Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh to justice.

Our coalition has worked with the White House on issues ranging from criminal justice reform to job creation and education to various quality of life issues. We feel strongly that few things are more critically important to quality of life than having a fully functional and fair justice system in our country. Our request that the Senate proceed with a fair hearing for Judge Garland is part of our collective work to improve the lives of constituents in our districts and throughout our country.

To be clear, we expect our Senators to proceed with a fair hearing for Judge Garland because that is what the Constitution dictates and what our constituents and all Americans deserve from their leaders. To those Senators who are putting politics above their Constitutional duties, we urge you to #DoYourJob because as President Obama stated during his press conference, “Presidents don’t stop working in the final year of their term. Neither should a Senator.”

The statement was signed by the following officials:

• Bob Duff, Majority Leader of Connecticut Senate
• Elizabeth Archuleta, Supervisor, Coconino County, Ariz.
• Stephen Benjamin, Mayor, Columbia, S.C.
• Michael Blake, New York State Assemblyman
• Cesar Blanco, Texas State Representative
• Luke Bronin, Hartford Mayor
• Aja Brown, Mayor, Compton, Calif.
• Suzanne Buchanan, Councilmember, Leetonia, Ohio
• Peter Buttigieg, Mayor, South bend, Indiana
• Trey Martinez-Fischer, Representative, San Antonio, Texas
• Thomas Hucker, Councilmember, Montgomery County, Md.
• Clayburn Jenkins, County Judge, Dallas County, Texas
• Kevin Killer, Representative, Bennett County, SD
• Christopher Lee, Representative, Kailua, Hawaii
• Eric Lesser, Senator, Longmeadow, Mass.
• Alfonso Lopez, Delegate, Arlington, Va.
• Svante Myrick, Mayor, Ithaca, N.Y.
• William Oliver, Mayor Pro Tem, Madera, Calif.
• Janet Petersen, State Senator, Des Moines, Iowa
• Hans Riemer, At-Large Councilmember, Montgomery County, Md.
• Gustavo Rivera, Senator, Bronx, N.Y.
• Vincent Sarmiento, Mayor Pro, Lakewood, Wash.
• Donna Soucy, Senator, Manchester, N.H.
• Ritchie Torres, Council member, New York City
• Michael Tubbs, Counci lmember, Stockton, Calif.
• Katharine Widland Gallego, Phoenix, Ariz., Councilmember
• Jennifer Williamson, Oregon House Majority Leader
• Stacey Abrams, House Minority Leader, Georgia General Assembly
• Christian Mitchell, State Representative
• Anthony Rendon, Speaker
• Senator Bob Duff, Senate Majority Leader