Bates letter: Crapo-Gorsuch

In his recent Guest Opinion piece, Mike Crapo supported the Gorsuch nomination to the Supreme Court, ignoring the increasing body of evidence that Gorsuch’s decisions often don’t properly reflect the law.

As if sending us a signal during his nomination proceedings, the eight sitting Supreme Court justices ruled unanimously against his very narrow interpretation of a 2008 decision dealing with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act which, if accepted, would have undermined the law itself, but perhaps worse, he ruled against a trucker who was fired because he refused instructions by his employer to wait in a broken down truck in 17 degree below zero weather and freeze to death.

Indeed, he has repeatedly ruled on the side of big corporations, putting our access to clean air and water in harm’s way. His strict views could undermine the ability of the EPA to safeguard our health and maintain protections for clean air and water.

With the possibility of collusion with a foreign government hanging over the Trump administration, the last thing the Senate should be doing is considering a lifetime nomination to the Supreme Court. The legitimacy of this president is now in serious question and this new justice should be, too.

This story was originally published April 10, 2017 at 5:30 PM with the headline "Bates letter: Crapo-Gorsuch."