Activists urge Sen. Feinstein to take actions to stop SCOTUS confirmation hearings
Sen. Dianne Feinstein
SAN FRANCISCO - Activists in San Francisco rallied outside the office of Sen.
Dianne Feinstein on Monday afternoon to demand that she and other Senate Democrats stop confirmation hearings for U.S. President Donald Trump's Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett.
The hearings, which kicked off Monday, could result in Barrett
filling in the seat of late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who passed away last month.
Because Barrett's appointment, which lasts for the rest of her
life, would result in a 6-3 conservative majority on the high court, the activists want to hold off on the hearings until after the start of a new presidential term following the upcoming Nov. 3 election, which they say was Ginsburg's dying wish.
The activists include members of Alliance of Californians for
Community Empowerment, the Center of Popular Democracy Action, Sunrise Movement -- San Francisco, Defenders of the Earth, and the Action Center on Race and the Economy. The rally, called No Confirmation Before Inauguration, began at noon outside Feinstein's office at 1 Post St.
"We're here to tell Sen. Feinstein and the Democrats that our eyes
are on them -- they must do everything in their power to stop Barrett's nomination from moving forward," activist and Richmond City Council member Melvin Willis said in a statement.
"The president has refused to commit to a peaceful transfer of
power if he loses the election, and Barrett's nomination makes this scenario even more plausible. A court with Barrett will not protect our votes; it will protect Trump's desire to stay in power. We're calling on Democratic leaders to safeguard the American people's right to choose our president by stopping this nomination," Willis said.
The activists are also calling on Feinstein to publicly reject the
hearings and to use every "procedural block to jam processes and delay proceedings."
On a related note, Feinstein released a statement on Monday in which she condemned Sen. Lindsey Graham's announcement as Senate judiciary committee chairman that he would be holdring Judge Barrett's first committee markup before her hearing was finished.
Feinstein said it would be an unprecedented move that ignores rules and tradition.
“I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, we should hold off on filling Justice Ginsburg’s seat until after the inauguration," Feinstein said.