WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) issued the following statement on Judge Neil Gorsuch’s nomination for the Supreme Court.
“Senators have a solemn obligation to advise and consent on a President’s nominee for the Supreme Court. After thorough examination and consideration, I have decided that I will not vote in favor of Judge Gorsuch’s nomination. His judicial record on critical issues including the rights of children with disabilities, campaign finance, and preserving health and safety protections have led me to conclude that I cannot support his nomination.
“During Judge Gorsuch’s hearing, I asked about an opinion he wrote on the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), a law passed to ensure that students with disabilities are supported in school. In a unanimous 8-0 decision last week, the Supreme Court ruled against the narrow interpretation of that law supported by the judge that limited the educational opportunities of children with disabilities. 124,000 children in Minnesota rely on IDEA. Every justice on the Court must protect them.
“I also focused on the judge's approach to campaign finance law. Since Citizens United, hidden super-sized PAC money has had an outsized influence in our politics, distorting our representative democracy. In a concurring opinion in Riddle v. Hickenlooper, Judge Gorsuch went out of his way to suggest that the Court should apply strict scrutiny to laws restricting campaign contributions. If the Supreme Court adopted that view, it could compromise the few remaining campaign finance protections that are still on the books.
“The judge also went beyond the facts of the case in another decision last year when he issued a provocative concurrence suggesting that Chevron deference should be overturned. This 33-year-old case guarantees that the most complex regulatory decisions are made by experts who are best equipped to handle them. Overturning Chevron would have titanic real-world implications, jeopardizing rules that protect public safety, requirements against lead-based paint, and clean water protections for our Great Lakes.
“The Supreme Court makes decisions that affect the lives of people across the country. We need justices who understand that and will uphold the motto on the Supreme Court building—to help all Americans achieve 'equal justice under law.'"
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