Howard Nielson has been nominated for a lifetime appointment as judge for federal district court. Nielson has a long and disturbing history of partisan acts and extreme right-wing views.
- Wrote memo defending the use of torture on civilians for the Bush-Cheney administration.
- Opposed Affordable Care Act — argued that federal government didn’t have to help pay for people’s health insurance in certain states.
- Argued to restrict abortion rights –argued for requirement that outpatient abortions be performed by doctors with admitting privileges to a hospital or surgical center–an unnecessary requirement that would limit access to safe abortion.
- Worked for NRA in many cases against common-sense gun safety, such as a ban on handgun purchases for people under 21, a ban on people ages 18 to 20 publicly carrying firearms, and a ban on semiautomatic rifles and large capacity magazines.
- Fought same-sex marriage and hinted that only a man and a woman can form a family to raise children well.
Please call your Senators and say:
Hi, my name is [name] and I’m a constituent from [zip code]. I’m calling to ask the Senator to vote NO on the nomination of Howard Nielson for a judgeship to federal district court. I am deeply concerned by Nielson’s past actions against the Affordable Care Act, women’s reproductive rights, common-sense gun safety, and LGBTQ marriage equality. I am also disturbed that Nielson defended the torture of civilians in a memo for the Bush-Cheney administration. Nielson should not be appointed as a federal judge.
To find your senators, see https://www.govtrack.us/congress/members.
Additional Talking Points for office visits here.
Sources
- Alliance for Justice–Report on Nielson
- “Oppose the Confirmation of Howard Nielson,” The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights
- The Vetting Room–Report on Nielson
- “Sen. Tammy Duckworth: Reject Trump’s judicial nominee for his complicity in torture,” Salon.com
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