Wyden, Merkley blast Trump’s pick of Kavanaugh

(Update: Adding Oregon Republican Party statement)

Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., expressed “grave concerns” Monday night about the nomination of Judge Brett Kavanaugh to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court.

“Tonight, the president begins a forced march back to the days when women’s health care choices were made by government,” Wyden said.

“There can be no mistaking Trump’s Supreme Court nomination for anything but what it is: a direct attempt to overturn Roe v. Wade . American women could lose the right to chart the courses of their own lives, finding their futures are determined by the whims of fanatical state legislators and the availability of contraception. Make no mistake: we will not go back to those days.”

Senator Jeff Merkley also released a statement late Monday after President Trump nominated Kavanaugh to be the next associate justice of the Supreme Court:

“We knew that if Donald Trump picked anyone off his list of extremists, fundamental rights would be at stake. Now, the decision has arrived, and everything we feared is on the line.

“Roe v. Wade could be overturned and abortion and forms of contraception criminalized. Americans with pre-existing conditions could lose life-saving health care. Marriage equality could be overturned. Racial inequality and blatant voter suppression could be further embraced by the highest court in the land.

“These are no longer wild hypotheticals; these are real and imminent threats to our nation.

“The justices of the Supreme Court should be selected based on the wisdom, experience, and values they bring to the job, not hand-picked by ideological organizations committed to rolling back the ability of women, minorities, workers, and consumers to participate fully and freely in society.

“To safeguard the rights of all Americans and our founding vision of a ‘We the People’ nation, Americans must rise up and make their voices heard in the U.S. Senate,” Merkley said.

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News release from the Oregon Republican Party:

Wilsonville, OR – The Oregon Republican Party released the following statement applauding President Trump’s nomination of D.C. Circuit Judge Brett Kavanaugh to United States Supreme Court to fill the vacancy left by the announced retirement of Justice Anthony Kennedy.

“Judge Brett Kavanaugh is great choice to serve on the Supreme Court and is another great nomination by President Trump. Today is a great day for American jurisprudence and fidelity to our great Constitution,” stated Oregon Republican Party Chairman Bill Currier..

“Judge Kavanaugh fervently believes that a judge must interpret the law, not make the law, thus respecting the separation of powers so wisely defined by The Framers,” Currier added. “If confirmed, he pledges to serve with an open mind, while striving to faithfully apply the Constitution of the United States, as written.”

“Sadly, Democrats have already rejected the President’s nominee and directed their leftist front groups to organized protests – before anyone was even nominated,” added Currier. “We hope Democrat Senators will give a fair hearing to Judge Cavanaugh, but, in the case of Oregon’s Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden, recent history shows that they’ve left the political and legal mainstream for the angry, frenzied far left – which relies on vicious media smear campaigns and vitriolic personal attacks, instead of principled dialogue and debate.”

“Despite all this, we are optimistic that strong bipartisan support will confirm Judge Kavanaugh to the highest court in the land.”