(WASHINGTON, D.C.) – Congressman Jamie Raskin (Md.-08) joined Representative Susie Lee (Nev.-03) and 70 House colleagues in urging Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer to reject Lawrence VanDyke’s judicial nomination to the Ninth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals. The Senate is expected to vote on Mr. VanDyke’s judicial nomination this Thursday, Dec. 12.   

The Members wrote: "A fair and impartial judiciary is the cornerstone of our democracy. Every American should expect and receive equal justice under the law. Mr. VanDyke's record raises serious questions about his ability to fulfill that expectation. The American Bar Association's Standing Committee on the Federal Judiciary determined that Mr. VanDyke is "Not Qualified" to serve on the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit based in part on serious concerns over whether Mr. VanDyke could be a neutral and unbiased arbiter of matters involving the LGBTQ community."

The Members continued: "When it comes to our federal courts, the American people are entitled to judges who will rule based on the law and the facts before them. There is no place for extreme political ideologues on the federal bench. It strains credulity to suggest that Mr. Van Dyke "can turn on a dime” and administer impartial justice to LGBTQ litigants after a lifetime of working against their equal dignity and peddling hateful and bigoted myths about LGBTQ families and relationships."

The Members concluded: "Mr. VanDyke's record raises serious concerns about his ability to be a neutral and unbiased arbiter of the law. While Members of the House of Representatives play no official role in the confirmation process of federal judges, his choices and statements have demonstrated that he is unfit for a lifetime appointment to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Accordingly, we urge you to reject his nomination." 

A signed copy of the letter is available here.

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