Rep. Lee Sends Letter to Senate Leadership, Pens Op-Ed Opposing Nevada Judicial Nominee VanDyke for Anti-LGBTQ+ Beliefs
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Rep. Susie Lee (Nev.-03) led a letter to Senate leadership and authored an op-ed in Las Vegas Sun in opposition to Lawrence VanDyke's judicial nomination to the Ninth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals. The Senate is expected to vote on Mr. VanDyke's judicial nomination this Thursday, Dec. 12.
Rep. Lee authored an op-ed piece in the Las Vegas Sun outlining the reasons why Mr. VanDyke is unfit to hold a federal judgeship position, highlighting his extensive history of anti-LGBTQ+ beliefs and legal decisions.
In her op-ed, Rep. Lee wrote:
"A good and fair judge cannot be corrupted by hateful thinking or personal vendettas. That's why Lawrence VanDyke's looming nomination to the 9th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals should scare all of us.
"When it comes to VanDyke's unsettling record on LGBTQ issues, he has a long and persistent view that marriage equality is somehow harmful. In 2004, he asserted that ‘same-sex marriage will hurt families, and consequentially children and society.' When senators pressed him on whether he still holds these views, VanDyke refused to disavow his position in both his hearing and in his responses to the questions for the record. To add insult to injury, VanDyke has maintained a long affiliation with extreme anti-LGBTQ groups like the Alliance Defending Freedom, an organization notorious for its campaigns against the LGBTQ community.
"We urge our Senate colleagues to reject this nomination and uphold their duty to preserve a fair and impartial court system for all Americans, regardless of who they are and who they love."
Rep. Lee also authored a letter—signed by 69 of her House colleagues, including Reps. Dina Titus (Nev.-01) and Steven Horsford (Nev.-04)--to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, urging them to reject his nomination.
BACKGROUND:
The Las Vegas Sun op-ed can be found here.
A PDF of the Rep. Lee's letter to Senate leadership can be found here.