Over 500 Faith Leaders Call Kavanaugh “Morally Unfit” to Serve on the Supreme Court
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 27, 2018
MEDIA CONTACT
Michelle Nealy, mnealy@faithinpubliclife.org, (202)735-7123
Mackenzie Harris, mharris@faithpubliclife.org, (610)283-8879
Over 500 Faith Leaders Call Kavanaugh “Morally Unfit” to Serve on the Supreme Court
Washington, D.C. — Over 500 faith leaders from across the country organized by Faith in Public Life have issued a moral declaration that Brett Kavanaugh is morally unfit to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court. Serious allegations of sexual violence demand to be investigated before a confirmation to a lifetime tenure on the court.
“These profound moral failings render Judge Kavanaugh unfit to serve as judge. We need a Supreme Court justice who rules with justice — not one whose character has been marred by sexual violence,” the declaration states.
To view the full letter, with a complete list of signers, click here.
Rev. Jennifer Butler, CEO of Faith in Public Life:
“I believe the survivors. Judge Kavanaugh’s history of sexual violence makes him morally unfit to serve in a position of honor and respect on the Supreme Court. As a country we desperately need national repentance. That means openly acknowledging our history and present of cruel misogyny, and changing course. The allegations against Kavanaugh need to be fully investigated — not ignored for partisan gain — for us to build a future where everyone is safe and can flourish.”
Valarie Kaur, Esq., Founder of the Revolutionary Love Project:
“It is a moral and legal imperative that the sexual assault allegations against Judge Kavaunagh be fully investigated before he receives a vote. I speak as a lawyer and fellow alumni of Yale Law School who believes that the integrity of the Supreme Court is at stake, as a woman who has survived sexual assault, as a Sikh whose faith demands that we be brave in the pursuit of justice, and as a mother who wants her children to inherit an America where women are believed.”
Rev. Dr. Amy Butler, Senior Minister of The Riverside Church:
“It is nearly impossible to be a woman in this country these days and believe that our lives are seen as having value and dignity. Those who are elected or appointed to serve the people must protect the people first, before their own reputations and institutions of power. If Scripture has taught us anything, it is that God is always on the side of the silenced and dispossessed.”
Dr. Serene Jones, President of Union Theological Seminary:
“Our world is in a serious spiritual crisis when women who bring accusations of being sexually abused and assaulted are further victimized by being publicly shamed and denied the fair hearing they deserve. The message it sends to millions of women is ‘shut up and stop complaining; boys will be boys.’ It reveals yet again how deep the waters of misogyny still run through our country, and how enormous the work ahead of us is. My gratitude towards the women coming forward is profound. They, and the thousands upon whose shoulders they stand, are remarkable.”
Diana Butler Bass, Ph.D., Author and Historian:
“How a society treats those who have lived with the fear and pain of abuse reveals something of our communal soul. Compassion and justice both demand that the Senate engage in a considered search for truth in the matter of the allegations against Brett Kavanaugh.”
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Faith in Public Life is a national network of nearly 50,000 clergy and faith leaders united in the prophetic pursuit of justice and the common good.