Full-Court Press Against ACA Includes Kavanaugh, Readler

WASHINGTON, D.C., September 24, 2018 – Noting that the Trump Administration’s court-packing scheme is largely motivated by an agenda that includes dismantling the Affordable Care Act, Alliance for Justice President Nan Aron released the following statement as the Senate Judiciary Committee is planning to hold a hearing for Sixth Circuit nominee Chad Readler:

“While all eyes are on the Brett Kavanaugh Supreme Court fight, it’s important to remember that the courts are the main weapon in the Trump Administration’s all-out assault on health care. This week the Judiciary Committee is scheduled to hold a hearing for a Sixth Circuit nominee, Chad Readler. Like Kavanaugh, Readler is a staunch opponent of the Affordable Care Act. But he is more than that; he is leading the charge for the Trump Administration as it tries to destroy protections for people with preexisting conditions. He is the lawyer who on behalf of the administration signed the legal brief calling for those protections to be eliminated for tens of millions of people. Readler does not belong on the federal bench, and any Senator who cares about the health and wellbeing of Americans needs to know where he stands.”

AFJ notes that Lamar Alexander, the Republican Chairman of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions called Readler’s brief on the Affordable Care Act “as far-fetched as any I’ve ever heard.” In addition, three Justice Department attorneys refused to sign Readler’s brief, and one veteran DOJ lawyer resigned in protest.

Read AFJ’s report on Readler here. In addition to Readler’s efforts to take away health insurance from millions, AFJ’s report highlights his fight to undermine public education in Ohio; his efforts to make it harder for Ohioans to vote; his attacks on reproductive rights, LGBTQ Americans, immigrants, workers and consumers; and his extreme views in favor of the death penalty for children.