Just got a response back:


Thank you for taking the time to contact me regarding the passing of Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and the nomination of Judge Amy Coney Barrett to fill her vacant seat on the United States Supreme Court. I appreciate hearing from you.

Our Nation mourns the passing of Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Justice Ginsburg was a pioneer for gender equality, a champion for human rights and a fierce defender of workers on an increasingly corporate Supreme Court. Justice Ginsburg served our Nation honorably and with distinction for four decades. Her life story-including her heroic battles with cancer-inspired countless Americans. I extend condolences to her family, and know her memory is a blessing to millions of Americans.

As we honor Justice Ginsburg's legacy, we must also turn our attention to the task of nominating and confirming her replacement on the Supreme Court. The next justice will likely be the deciding vote on a number of extremely important decisions, including whether the Affordable Care Act (ACA) will be overturned. If overturned, up to 5.5 million Pennsylvanians will lose protection for pre-existing conditions, and 996,000 more will lose their insurance entirely.

On September 26, President Trump nominated Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the United States Supreme Court. Judge Barrett was selected from a list preapproved by two far-right organizations, the Federalist Society and the Heritage Foundation. If confirmed, Judge Barrett will almost certainly vote to overturn the ACA and serve as a vote in favor of corporate interests that will adversely impact working families, children and seniors. In 2017, she made her position on the ACA clear when she wrote that Chief Justice Roberts "pushed the Affordable Care Act beyond its plausible meaning" in his 2012 opinion upholding the law. Furthermore, Judge Barrett's record on the Seventh Circuit raises deep concerns about her willingness to favor businesses and large corporations at the expense of working people. This is not surprising given her support from the Heritage Foundation, which has notoriously referred to labor unions as "cartels." Based on her open hostility to the ACA and her anti-worker background, I cannot support a Supreme Court nominee who would embrace the rights of corporations over workers, while ripping health care away from tens of millions.

Furthermore, consistent with the precedent set by Majority Leader Mitch McConnell in 2016, I do not believe that Justice Ginsburg's seat should be filled until the presidential election concludes and the candidate chosen by voters is sworn into office. In 2016, Senate Republicans refused to consider the nomination of Judge Merrick Garland, President Obama’s nominee for a Supreme Court vacancy, nominated 236 days before the presidential election. In an op-ed at the time, Majority Leader McConnell and then-Chair of the Judiciary Committee, Senator Grassley, wrote: "We don't think the American people should be robbed of this unique opportunity Given that we are in the midst of the presidential election process, we believe that the American people should seize the opportunity to weigh in on whom they trust to nominate the next person for a lifetime appointment to the Supreme Court."

However, less than two hours after the passing of Justice Ginsburg was reported, Senator McConnell reversed the precedent he set in 2016 and said President Trump's nominee would get a floor vote. It is disturbing and hypocritical that the President and Majority Leader would attempt to fill this vacancy now while Americans across the country have nominee for a Supreme Court vacancy, nominated 236 days before the presidential election. In an op-ed at the time, Majority Leader McConnell and then-Chair of the Judiciary Committee, Senator Grassley, wrote: "We don't think the American people should be robbed of this unique opportunity Given that we are in the midst of the presidential election process, we believe that the American people should seize the opportunity to weigh in on whom they trust to nominate the next person for a lifetime appointment to the Supreme Court."

Instead of focusing on tackling the virus that has claimed the lives of more than 200,000 Americans and helping millions get back to work, President Trump and Majority Leader McConnell are trying to rush Judge Amy Coney Barrett's nomination to the Supreme Court to ensure that she is present on November 10, when the Trump Administration will argue before the Supreme Court that the ACA should be struck down in its entirety. It is clear that President Trump and the Majority Leader are attempting to ram through this nomination to accomplish what they have been unable to do through traditional, legislative means-destroy the ACA and rip health care away from millions of Americans. This has become their priority, instead of protecting Americans from the deadly virus or creating good paying jobs for the almost 750,000 out of work in our Commonwealth.

Again, thank you for sharing your thoughts with me. For more information on this or other issues, I encourage you to visit my website, casey.senate.gov. I hope you will find this online office a comprehensive resource to stay up-to-date on my work in Washington, request assistance from my office or share with me your thoughts on the issues that matter most to you and to Pennsylvania.

Sincerely,
Bob Casey
United States Senator