Press Releases

Judge Barrett’s  disregard for precedent poses a considerable danger to the legitimacy of the Court and particularly to African Americans, who disproportionately rely on judicial precedents, such as those upholding the Affordable Care Act. Senate Republicans chose to prioritize voting on a Supreme Court nomination instead of voting on COVID-19 relief for the American people, disregarding the urgency of this relief for communities that have been hit the hardest due to the pandemic. 

“As an attorney, former tenured professor of law, and Member of Congress, I swore an oath to uphold the Constitution, and I believe Barrett’s confirmation today poses danger to the body of laws supporting our country’s founding documents,” said Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC). “As an African American and Chair of the CBC’s Judicial Nominations Task Force, I must also call attention to the fact that communities of color disproportionately rely on the outcomes of cases about government policies that tend to be decided by the Supreme Court, like the expected decision about the Affordable Care Act this fall.

“Barrett’s confirmation today advances neither the legitimacy of the Court nor the interests of the communities I represent. I will continue fighting for both.”

Norton previously sent letters with CBC Chair Congresswoman Karen Bass (D-CA) to Senate Judiciary Committee leadership opposing confirmation of Barrett.