WASHINGTON – Fifty-five
members of the Iowa House of Representatives wrote to Senate Judiciary
Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley and Ranking Member Dianne Feinstein endorsing
Judge Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination to serve on the Supreme Court of the United
States.
In
their
letter,
the legislators wrote that “Americans deserve a Supreme Court Justice who is
fair and has a deep respect for the rule of law. Most importantly, they deserve
someone who interprets our Constitution the way it is written, rather than
performing mental gymnastics to reach a pre-determined outcome based on
personal preference. Judge Kavanaugh exhibits these important qualities which
makes him clearly qualified to serve.”
Grassley
released the following statement regarding the
letter.
“I
want to thank these Iowa legislators for their letter in support of Judge Brett
Kavanaugh’s nomination. I share their views that Judge Kavanaugh’s educational,
professional and personal achievements are unmatched and that he is highly
qualified to serve on the Supreme Court. This letter of support, along with the
dozens of others my committee has received over the past several weeks, is a
testament to the quality and substance of Judge Kavanaugh’s character and
professional record. The American people would be greatly served from having a
justice of his caliber on the bench.”
The
Senate Judiciary Committee, led by Grassley, is in the process of reviewing
documents related to Judge Kavanaugh’s public service, including his 307
judicial opinions written during his tenure on the D.C. Circuit Court of
Appeals. Additionally, the committee has received more than 430,000 pages of
executive branch material related to Judge Kavanaugh. The previous high water
mark for similar material during consideration of Supreme Court nominees was
roughly 180,000 pages related to Justice Neil Gorsuch.
The
text of the letter is available
here
and below.
August 20, 2018
The Honorable
Charles Grassley
Chairman
United States
Senate Judiciary Committee
135 Hart Senate
Office Building
Washington,
D.C. 20510
The Honorable
Dianne Feinstein
Ranking Member
United States
Judiciary Committee
331 Hart Senate
Office Building
Washington,
D.C. 20510
Dear Senators
Grassley and Feinstein:
As members of
the Iowa House of Representatives, we would encourage all members of the United
States Senate to confirm Judge Brett Kavanaugh in a respectful and efficient
manner.
Senators
Grassley and Ernst know better than most how important it is for elected
officials to listen to the people they represent. That’s why we have spent the
past several months knocking on doors to talk with Iowans. What we consistently
hear is that they have grown tired of the obstructionism that they constantly
see from Washington DC. Iowans expect Congress to do its work and address the
priorities of the people that elected them.
You can begin
restoring the trust of these folks by quickly confirming Judge Brett Kavanaugh
as our next Justice to the Supreme Court.
Americans
deserve a Supreme Court Justice who is fair and has a deep respect for the rule
of law. Most importantly, they deserve someone who interprets our Constitution
the way it is written, rather than performing mental gymnastics to reach a
pre-determined outcome based on personal preference. Judge Kavanaugh exhibits
these important qualities which makes him clearly qualified to serve.
Judge
Kavanaugh’s educational, professional, and personal achievements are unmatched.
He earned his B.A. from Yale College, graduating with honors, and went on to
earn his law degree from Yale Law School. Following graduation, he clerked for
several judges, most notably Justice Anthony Kennedy, and held a number of
legal roles in both the public and private sectors. He was appointed to the
United State Court of Appeals in 2006.
Judge Kavanaugh
is also widely respected in the judicial community and by members of both
political parties. When first nominated to the Court of Appeals, he was
confirmed with bipartisan support and his writings have been cited by numerous
judges and other legal professionals.
While some may
not agree with every position he has taken during his long legal career, there
is near universal agreement that he is highly qualified to serve on the Supreme
Court.
Americans are
tired of gridlock. Show your constituents that you are capable of doing what
they sent you to Washington to do, and quickly confirm Judge Brett Kavanaugh as
our next Justice on the Supreme Court.
Respectfully,
Representative
Linda Upmeyer
Speaker of the
House
Representative
Chris Hagenow
Majority Leader
Representative
Rob Bacon
Representative
Chip Baltimore
Representative
Clel Baudler
Representative
Terry Baxter
Representative
Michael Bergan
Representative
Brian Best
Representative
Jane Bloomingdale
Representative
Jacob Bossmann
Representative
Gary Carlson
Representative
Dave Deyoe
Representative
Cecil Dolecheck
Representative
Dean Fisher
Representative
Joel Fry
Representative
Tedd Gassmann
Representative
Pat Grassley
Representative
Stan Gustafson
Representative
Kristi Hager
Representative
Mary Ann Hanusa
Representative
Greg Heartsill
Representative
Dave Heaton
Representative
Lee Hein
Representative
Jake Highfill
Representative
Ashley Hinson
Representative
Steve Holt
Representative
Chuck Holz
Representative
Dan Huseman
Representative
Jon Jacobsen
Representative
Megan Jones
Representative
Bobby Kaufmann
Representative
David Kerr
Representative
Jarad Klein
Representative
Kevin Koester
Representative
John Landon
Representative
Shannon Lundgren
Representative
Dave Maxwell
Representative
Andy McKean
Representative
Gary Mohr
Representative
Norlin Mommsen
Representative
Tom Moore
Representative
Ross Paustian
Representative
Dawn Pettengill
Representative
Walt Rogers
Representative
Sandy Salmon
Representative
Mike Sexton
Representative
Larry Sheets
Representative
David Sieck
Representative
Rob Taylor
Representative
Guy Vander Linden
Representative
Ralph Watts
Representative
Matt Windschitl
Representative
John Wills
Representative
Gary Worthan
Representative
Louie Zumbach
cc: President
Donald Trump
Vice
President Mike Pence
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