Lambda Legal Disappointed by Collins Decision to Ignore Constituents to Join GOP Party Line

"By relying on fantasy instead of fact, and by putting party ahead of people, Senator Collins is apparently willing to ignore the overwhelming majority of Mainers who have urged her to oppose this nomination in order to avoid the ire of Republican Party bosses and the White House."

(Washington, DC – Oct. 5, 2018) Sharon McGowan, Lambda Legal Chief Strategy Officer and Legal Director, issued the following statement:

Lambda Legal is deeply disappointed by Senator Collins’ (R-ME) announcement that she intends to support Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination to the Supreme Court.  Senator Collins’ justifications range from naïve to disingenuous, and represent what can only be described as magical thinking about what kind of a jurist a Justice Kavanaugh would be.  Furthermore, her discrediting of Dr. Christine Blasey Ford’s (and others’) allegations against Brett Kavanaugh speaks far more loudly than the empty words she offered in support of sexual assault survivors, and her reliance on an incomplete and politically manipulated investigation to justify her decision was shameful.  By relying on fantasy instead of fact, and by putting party ahead of people, Senator Collins is apparently willing to ignore the overwhelming majority of Mainers who have urged her to oppose this nomination in order to avoid the ire of Republican Party bosses and the White House. 

Lambda Legal will continue to fight to defeat this dangerous nomination until every final vote is cast and counted.  We urge everyone to keep calling their Senators, because at the end of the day, Senators are sent to Washington to represent the people, and not the kind of powerful interests that we see at work here to force this nomination through.  With so much at stake  – the safety and security of all, including more than 10 million LGBT people and their families, the ability to make highly personal decisions about one’s body, including the right to obtain an abortion, guaranteed access to affordable health care, and countless other issues that will affect us for generations - we urge everyone fighting for what is right to not give up and to continue calling your Senators, because only by continuing to make our voices heard will we beat back this terrible threat to our country and its values.”

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Past articles and information pertaining to the Kavanaugh nomination can be found here:

• Lambda Legal Demands Senate Halt Kavanaugh Nomination Process and Asks Senators to Join the Call to Investigate Sexual Assault Allegations (September 16, 2018)
• Lambda Legal and 60 LGBT Organizations Urge Senate to Postpone Kavanaugh Hearing and to Properly Investigate the Allegations of Sexual Assault (September 18, 2018)
• Lambda Legal Urges Senators of Conscience to Step Forward to Convince White House to Withdraw Kavanaugh Nomination (September 23, 2018) 
• Lambda Legal Urges Senators to Oppose Kavanaugh Nomination with News of Third Accuser (September 26, 2018)
• Lambda Legal Stands With Dr. Ford Who Bravely Came Forward to Share Private Experienced of Sexual Assault on National Stage (September 27, 2018)
• Lambda Legal Asks GOP Senators to State Publicly That They Will Not Vote to Confirm Kavanaugh (September 27, 2018)
• Lambda Legal Decries Vote to Advance Kavanaugh Nomination to Full Senate; FBI Investigation into Sexual Assault Must Occur Prior to Full Final Vote (September 28, 2018)
• Lambda Legal Appeals to Senate to Vote No on Kavanaugh (October 5, 2018)