Boston (September 25, 2020) – Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) released the following statement on President Donald Trump’s nomination of Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the United States Supreme Court:

“In nominating Judge Amy Coney Barrett, President Trump has selected a far-right, extremist judge, whose vote on the Supreme Court will put at risk the fundamental rights sacred to our democracy. If you are LGBTQ, Judge Amy Coney Barrett doesn’t believe you should get married. If you have diabetes or heart disease, Judge Amy Coney Barrett doesn’t believe you should be able to obtain affordable health care coverage. If you are a Dreamer, Judge Amy Coney Barrett will vote to deport you. Her record as a judge and her own words establish that she will be a clear and present danger to reproductive rights, LGBTQ rights, labor rights, voting rights, civil rights, and many more.

“Senator McConnell and Senate Republicans are trying to steal yet another Supreme Court seat less than six weeks before the presidential election and even after voting has already begun. Senate Republicans seem motivated to quickly jam through the illegitimate Barrett nomination, but when millions of workers and families remain unemployed or can’t make rent because of the coronavirus pandemic, action to provide them relief is nowhere to be found.

“The vacancy on the Supreme Court created by the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg portends one of the most consequential Supreme Court nominations our nation has ever seen. I will do everything in my power to stop Judge Amy Coney Barrett from being confirmed to the Supreme Court, and shifting the Court’s balance dangerously to the right for years to come. And if the Senate Republicans confirm Judge Barrett, Democrats must move to end the filibuster and expand the Court in the next Congress.”