U.S. Steelworkers oppose confirmation of Judge Kavanaugh

The United Steelworkers union has issued a statement urging the U.S. Senate to deny confirmation of Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the U.S. Supreme Court.

USW International President Leo Gerard said orking families “cannot tolerate another corporate apologist on the U.S. Supreme Court, fawning over CEOs and stomping on the rights of workers.”

The decisions of Kavanaugh on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, Gerard said, “demonstrate that he deliberately elevates corporations over working people.”

Gerard said Kavanaugh’s previous opinions place him “far to the right” of retiring Justice Anthony Kennedy, noting that he has “participated in the highest number of dissents per year of any judge on the D.C. Circuit.” Gerard accused many of Kavanaugh’s dissents of arguing against a worker’s right to be represented by labor unions, “their right not to be killed by unsafe employer practices, and their right not to be fired for their age or race.”

In contrast, “Kavanaugh twice wrote that a corporation should not be held accountable for misconduct overseas.”

Gerard also objected to Kavanaugh because he would “deny women their right to abortion after he tried – ultimately unsuccessfully – to prevent an undocumented minor who was in government custody from obtaining the procedure.”

“Activist jurists like Kavanaugh, who contort the law and U.S. Constitution to conform to their political and religious positions, should return to the private practice of law and not be promoted to the Supreme Court,” Gerard concluded.