Brasher Would Gut Voting Protections on the 11th Circuit

Washington, D.C., December 3, 2019 – Alliance for Justice today released a report on the record of Andrew Brasher, President Donald Trump’s nominee for the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. AFJ President Nan Aron released the following statement in opposition to his nomination:

“With the 2020 election just around the corner, we should be ensuring that everyone has access to the polls and that every vote counts. Instead, Trump has nominated Andrew Brasher to the Eleventh Circuit, which is comprised of three states — Alabama, Florida and Georgia — with a long-documented history of voter suppression and intimidation and where many barriers to voting still remain. Throughout Brasher’s career, he advocated for racist gerrymandering and defended laws that disproportionately disenfranchise voters of color, including voter ID, proof of citizenship, and a ban on felons voting. He even supported gutting the Voting Rights Act. Trump has repeatedly shown a willingness to accept an unfair advantage in the election, and Brasher’s nomination is the latest example.”

AFJ reports that:

• Brasher urged the Supreme Court to gut the Voting Rights Act, falsely claiming that the need for the law had “faded away,” even though he has personally defended racial gerrymanders.
• Brasher passes Trump’s anti-abortion litmus test, having previously defended laws requiring attorneys be appointed for fetuses, allowing district attorneys to testify on the maturity of minors seeking abortions, requiring abortion providers have admitting privileges at hospitals, dictating where abortion providers can be located, and criminalizing second-trimester abortion.
• Brasher argued that it was unconstitutional for the Census to count people who aren’t citizens, supporting the Trump administration’s goal of undercounting immigrants.
• Brasher’s anti-LGBTQ record has included opposing marriage equality by falsely implying children fare worse when raised by same-sex couples and arguing that discrimination against same-sex couples should be legal based on a business owner’s religious beliefs.
• Brasher has opposed the expansion of the Clean Water Act and protections for endangered species.
• Brasher challenged gun laws banning semi-automatic weapons in Connecticut and New York following the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, which took the lives of 20 children and 6 adults.

Read the full report here.