Washington, DC — Today, eighteen national organizations representing atheists, agnostics, humanists, and nontheistic Americans delivered a letter to the Senate Judiciary Committee urging them to reject the nomination of Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court.
“Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination would be a wrecking ball to the vital separation between church and state,” said Representative Jared Huffman (D-CA), co-chair of the Congressional Freethought Caucus. “He has a disappointing record of upholding special exemptions for certain religions, at the expense of women’s reproductive rights, a quality public education system, and overall religious freedom. I applaud the efforts of these champions for religious freedom in urging the Senate Judiciary Committee to reject the nomination of Judge Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court and protect the secular character of our government.”
The letter conveys a history of religious freedom in the United States and its importance to our constitutional order, followed by an examination of the rulings and remarks made by Judge Kavanaugh related to the separation of religion and government. After examining his record, the letter concludes; “His [Kavanaugh’s] clear preference for particular religious sects, promotion of prayer and religious coercion in public settings, and relentless pursuit of ideology over established judicial precedents should disqualify this nomination from further consideration. His appointment would cause grave harm to the wall of separation between religion and government and true realization of religious liberty within our society.”
“The nontheistic community has always been and will always be at the forefront of the fight to protect the secular character of our government,” said Larry T. Decker. “The nomination of Judge Kavanaugh represents a clear and deliberate effort transform the Court into a tool that can be used to advance their ideological agenda. Any serious evaluation of Judge Kavanaugh’s record leaves little doubt that his time on the Court will be spent rubber-stamping decisions that privilege the religious belief of some over the civil rights of all. Americans of all faiths and no faith want a Supreme Court Justice they can trust to fairly and dispassionately apply the Constitution. On behalf of the one-in-four Americans who have no religious affiliation, the signatories to this letter urge the Senate to preserve the integrity of the Supreme Court by rejecting the nomination of Judge Brett Kavanaugh.”
“Judge Kavanaugh and his distorted views on religious freedom have no place at the Supreme Court,” said Alison Gill, legal and policy director of American Atheists. “Someone who views the separation of religion and government as ‘useless’ rather than as the foundation of religious equality in our nation is dangerously out of step with the majority of Americans.”
“If confirmed, his record makes it crystal clear that he will continue his crusade to undermine civil rights protections for atheists, LGBTQ people, and minority religious groups to appease the Christian supremacists who have pushed his nomination from day one,” Gill added.
The letter and its full list of signatories can be found here.
Contact: Casey Brescia
Senior Communications Associate and Spokesman
[email protected], (845) 380-6201
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The Secular Coalition for America is the nation’s premier advocacy organization representing atheists, humanists, agnostics, and other nontheists. Its mission is to increase the visibility of and respect for nontheistic viewpoints in the United States, and to protect and strengthen the secular character of our government as the best guarantee of freedom for all. The Secular Coalition represents 19 voting member organizations.
