Progressives Launch Campaign Against Anti-Choice, Anti-LGBTQ Judicial Nominee

WASHINGTON Progressive groups that banded together for the Women’s March on Washington in January are teaming up again: They want to take down one of President Donald Trump ’s anti-choice, anti-LGBTQ judicial nominees.

Bush has also mocked climate change , and he celebrated that “the witch is dead” when he thought the Affordable Care Act might not be enacted.

The full letter is here (story continues below):

A White House spokeswoman did not respond to a request for comment.

Progressive groups dug up many of these details about Bush from a blog he maintained on a right-wing website called Elephants in the Bluegrass . He used the pseudonym “G. Morris,” which he disclosed in a questionnaire that all judicial nominees submit to the Judiciary Committee.

The organizations plan to mobilize their members millions of people to pressure Democrats and Republicans on the committee to reject Bush. NARAL, which is leading the campaign, has dubbed him a “shady blogger” and is publicizing his record of pushing anti-choice policies during his time with the conservative Center For Constitutional Jurisprudence.

The reproductive rights group has experience waging war on a court nominee: It helped tank one of President Barack Obama’s court picks, Michael Boggs, a conservative Democrat from Georgia who drew the ire of progressives because of his anti-choice, anti-LGBTQ, anti-civil rights record.

Another group, the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, announced Wednesday that it will also fight Bush’s nomination.

“John K. Bush is unworthy of a lifetime appointment as a federal judge,” said Vanita Gupta, the organization’s president and CEO. “His extreme ideology and record clearly shows an open and unabashed hostility to women and LGBT people, campaign finance reform, and Democrats. ... We urge the Senate to reject this nominee.”

For now, progressives are focused on building momentum against Bush before he faces the committee with the power to approve or deny his nomination.