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We’re asking the Senator to vote against the nomination of Andrew Oldham for a lifetime federal judgeship on an important federal appeals court (Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals covering Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi). As counsel to the Governor of Texas, Oldham has a long record of working for very conservative laws and causes.

  • Oldham has supported voter suppression and advocated for Texas’ voter ID law, which might be the most repressive voter ID law in the country. Opponents say it intentionally discriminates against Latinos and African-Americans.
  • Oldham has fought against common sense gun safety, once arguing that concealed carry license holders should be able to bring their guns into government buildings. Oldham belongs to the NRA.
  • He has sought to limit a woman’s right to choose by advocating for excessive and/or unnecessary requirements on abortion providers and clinics.
  • When Scott Pruitt was Attorney General of Oklahoma, Oldham allied with Pruitt to stop efforts against climate change. Oldham has questioned whether the EPA is even legitimate.
  • Oldham has fought against fair housing protections for racial minorities.
  • He has worked to limit the DACA program in his state.
  • He has shown extreme hostility to government regulations, even regulations protecting consumers, workers, or public health. Oldham has even attacked the Sherman Act, the most basic antitrust law.

During his Senate hearing, Oldham tried to walk back from his past actions, saying he is only doing his job as “advocate” for the Governor of Texas. But this is hard to believe. Would the Governor hire a certain lawyer to help his political agenda if that lawyer disagreed with him? We doubt it. We think Oldham, like his boss, is deeply conservative.

We’re very concerned by this nominee’s work against voting rights, a woman’s right to choose, common sense gun safety, and efforts to stop climate change. At the same time, Oldham has opposed protections for minorities from housing discrimination and the DACA program. We’re worried that he cannot be an impartial or fair judge with this background. We’re asking the Senator to vote against Andrew Oldham’s nomination for this lifetime judgeship to our federal courts. Oldham should not be a federal judge.

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