Sessions’ Confirmation Process a “Circus”

WASHINGTON, D.C., February 8, 2017 – Commenting on today’s Senate vote to confirm Sen. Jeff Sessions as U.S. Attorney General, Alliance for Justice President Nan Aron released the following statement:

“The way that Republicans have conducted the hearing and confirmation process for Jeff Sessions, up to and including today’s vote, represents a low point in the history of the Senate. This was a circus in which the majority party rammed through the nomination of an individual who has repeatedly demonstrated that he cannot lead a Justice Department that will fairly and equitably serve all Americans. Not only that, the nominee never bothered to complete his application materials, and a respected Senator from the minority party who spoke against the nomination was almost literally told to sit down and shut up by her colleagues on the other side of the aisle. This necessarily raises the stakes for the upcoming hearings for Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch. It is essential that the process for Gorsuch be thorough, deliberative, and respectful of all sides, and that Gorsuch fully answer questions about his ability to be an independent check on the executive branch as the Constitution prescribes.”