As we look toward the summer of 2019, the 2020 presidential election is in full swing. President Trump’s re-election campaign is laying the groundwork for another Trump victory, and the 22 – and growing – Democratic hopefuls are trying to distinguish themselves from the others, often by embracing radically progressive policies.
The RNLA Judicial Affairs Committee is putting together profiles of the leading Democratic candidates’ views on the judiciary and the types of judge they would nominate as President. Read the profiles completed so far here.
As we look to 2020, it is not too early to think about helping ensure that the 2020 election is open, fair, and honest in your state. Every state is unique, and the RNLA stands ready to help. Many local chapters are becoming more active, with the assistance of the RNLA’s new staff members, so watch your email for events in your area.
One excellent way to learn how to help with open, fair, and honest elections is by attending the RNLA’s 2019 National Election Law Seminar in Charlotte, North Carolina, on August 2 and 3. More details and registration information can be found here.
The Democrats are in a panic over the collapse of their Russian collusion narrative and have baselessly attacked Attorney General Bill Barr. Like many of our members, RNLA Vice President for Communications Harmeet Dhillon has been defending Attorney General Barr. She published What Dems left in their wake after Hill hysteria -- defeat, desperation, fear last week and Dems hold Barr in contempt, proving they're long on partisanship, short on historical memory earlier this week. Republicans in Congress have also been supporting Attorney General Barr: read Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s excellent floor speech here, read House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Doug Collins’ op-ed here, and watch Rep. Jim Jordan’s denunciation of the Democrats here.
Majority Leader McConnell has also been leading the fight to confirm President Trump’s nominees in the face of the Democrats’ obstruction and delays. He initiated a Senate rules change last month to limit debate time on many lower-level nominees to two hours, instead of the 30 hours that the Democrats had forced on nearly every nomination to slow down the Senate and the rate of confirmation. Many nominees have been confirmed in the last month, including former RNLA Chair Kimberly Reed, whose nomination to be President of the Export-Import Bank of the United States had been pending since last June, after she was first nominated to be a First Vice President of the Ex-Im Bank all the way back in October 2017.
Former RNLA Chair John Ryder serves as an excellent example of the Democrats’ needless delays. He was nominated to serve on the Board of Directors of the Tennessee Valley Authority in February 2018, but due to the Democrats’ delays, was not confirmed until February 2019. His nomination was delayed and the Democrats required cloture to be filed despite his confirmation being so uncontroversial that he was confirmed by a voice vote.
For more information on judicial nominations, the 2020 election, the Democrats’ attacks on President Trump and members of his administration, and Democrat’s efforts to undermine election integrity, check out the RNLA’s blog, Facebook, and Twitter.