Conservative organization using claims of ‘secret list’ of liberal judges to rally Republican base
Published in Yahoo News
The Judicial Crisis Network, a conservative organization instrumental in the Brett Kavanaugh confirmation fight, is now calling on 2020 Democratic candidates to release what it says is a secret list of potential nominees for the Supreme Court.
The “secret list” claim is part of a $1.1 million two-week television ad campaign, according to Fox News, a significant investment this early in the presidential campaign, and a signal that conservative groups hope to use court appointments as a way to energize the Republican base ahead of the general election.
The ad also played on NBC during Thursday night’s Democratic presidential debate, which according to CNN was the most-watched Democratic primary debate in the history of televised debates.
There’s just one problem, according to the group that allegedly created the list: It doesn’t exist.
Laurie Kinney, communications director for Alliance for Justice, a liberal judicial advocacy group, says her organization is identifying potential judicial nominees for a future Democratic administration but is “definitely not asking candidates to commit to any ‘lists.’”