Tag Archives: john cornyn

WASHINGTON – U.S. Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy announced his retirement on Wednesday, setting off what could be one of the most contentious judicial confirmation battles in American history.

Kennedy is known as the swing vote on the high court, meaning that a conservative replacement could shift the body to the right for a generation. That could have huge implications for cases expected to make their way to the Supreme Court in coming years, including battles over the rights of businesses to make “religious refusals,” a reckoning over the issue of partisan gerrymandering and new restrictions on the right to abortion — all issues that would reverberate loudly in Texas.

The retirement is also a likely advantage for Texas in several lawsuits against the federal government currently winding their way through the federal courts system, including a case that aims to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program and another challenge to the Affordable Care Act.

Both Texas senators, Republicans John Cornyn and Ted Cruz, serve on the Senate Judiciary Committee and are all but certain to play central roles in the questioning of whoever President Donald Trump nominates to replace Kennedy.

In a Fox News interview Wednesday, Cruz praised the moment as “an historic day.”

“What the Gorsuch pick did at the very best was maintain the status quo,” Cruz said. “The Justice Kennedy vacancy, on the other hand, is an opportunity to really have a profound impact on the court that could last for decades.”

Democrats, who are still bitter that U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell refused to allow a vote for the previous open seat during the Obama administration, should be expected to fight this nomination tooth and nail.

But they have little recourse. McConnell and his Republican colleagues lifted the filibuster rule during the 2017 nomination of current Justice Neil Gorsuch, meaning a simple majority is all that the GOP will need to push through the president’s nominee.

President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he’d choose his next nominee from a previously circulated shortlist of Supreme Court contenders. Cruz gave an early endorsement to one of his colleagues, who appears on that list: U.S. Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah.

“The single best choice President Donald Trump could make to fill this vacancy is Senator Mike Lee,” Cruz said. “I think he would be extraordinary.”

Cornyn chimed in later in the day with a news release.

“I hope the President will choose a principled, well-qualified nominee committed to upholding the rule of law and interpreting the Constitution faithfully, rather than rewriting it,” he said. “I also hope Democrats will consider whomever the President chooses on the merits and not subject the nominee to unfair, personal attacks.”

“I look forward to voting to confirm Justice Kennedy’s successor this Fall.”

Trump’s shortlist also includes one Texan, former Texas Supreme Court Justice Don Willett, who was confirmed in December to a seat on the conservative 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

Willett is perhaps best known for his outspoken Twitter presence, an accountthat has quieted slightly since his nomination last summer to the federal bench. Questions about Willett’s social media accounts dominated his confirmation hearing in November, with some senators suggesting that posts Willett considered lighthearted had in fact shown bias on issues like the rights of transgender students.

He told the committee that his tweets from the federal bench would “be above the fray” and focus largely on civic education.

Over the last 30 years, Kennedy emerged as a critical centrist on an increasingly polarized court, making him an important vote on several Texas cases. He wrote for the majority in the 2003 Lawrence v. Texas decision, a sweeping ruling that struck down Texas’ ban on gay sodomy and took 13 similar laws along with it. Two years ago, Kennedy sided with the court’s more liberal justices to strike down Texas abortion restrictions and uphold affirmative action policies at the University of Texas at Austin.

During the term that ended Wednesday, Kennedy sided with Texas in a case upholding the state’s political maps, which a district court had said intentionally discriminated against voters of color.

The University of Texas at Austin has been a financial supporter of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune’s journalism. Find a complete list of them here.

By  ABBY LIVINGSTON AND EMMA PLATOFF – The Texas Tribune

AUSTIN—U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) Saturday released the following statement after Hurricane Harvey made landfall along the Texas Gulf Coast:

“Our Texas communities affected by this severe hurricane continue to be in my prayers, as are the first responders and emergency personnel who are working around the clock. The threat posed by Harvey is extreme, and Texans should continue to heed the warnings of local officials and emergency personnel.

“My staff and I will remain in close contact with FEMA, the Governor’s office, and local officials in impacted areas as Texas continues to endure this dangerous storm. Thank you to all Texans who will be helping those in need in the days and weeks ahead.”

Senator Cornyn’s website will be updated with the most current information on available shelters, state assistance, federal disaster assistance, and other resources.

Senator Cornyn was briefed by the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Brock Long, and the Chief of the Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM), Nim Kidd, on Thursday about storm preparations.

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) released the following statement after President Trump signed an executive order repealing the job-killing U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulations put in place by the Obama Administration’s Clean Power Plan:

“For eight years the Obama Administration’s draconian regulatory regime hindered job growth and hit Texans at the pump and on their utility bills.

Rolling back the Obama Administration’s unnecessary, job-killing, and oppressive EPA regulations is another promise kept by this President.” 

“I’m glad President Trump continues to prioritize job creation over catering to environmental activists, and I look forward to working with him to harness our state’s energy potential for the benefit of the entire nation.”

WASHINGTON – Monday in the Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing on the nomination of Judge Neil Gorsuch to the United States Supreme Court, U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) delivered an opening statement praising President Trump’s pick to fill the vacancy left by the late Judge Antonin Scalia.

Excerpts of Sen. Cornyn’s remarks are below:

“The Senate Judiciary Committee undertakes no task more important than the one before us: considering a nominee to the United States Supreme Court.”

“The law is not just an academic or intellectual exercise. It has real consequences for real people.”

“Not one of our Democratic colleagues then in the Senate opposed Neil Gorsuch for the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals because there was simply no reason to do so.”

“As you can see here today, his jurisprudence reflects brilliance and the humility of a man committed to the Constitution and the law. That body of work is the best guide for the kind of judge Judge Gorsuch will be.

“We’re not here to ask you, even though some might, how you will vote in specific cases. And it would be wrong for you to prejudge those cases, as you know.”

“And that’s the same reason why, for example, Ruth Bader Ginsburg during her nomination hearing said a judge sworn to decide impartially can offer no forecast, no hints, for that would not only show disregard for the specifics of a particular case, it would display disdain for the entire judicial process. And our colleagues know that as well, but I expect them to ask a few questions nonetheless.”

“Well, lately we have heard from some that they should criticize you for failing to rule for a sympathetic constituency in one case or another. But of course as you know, Judge, if you follow the law and the facts wherever it may lead, sometimes it’s for the police, sometimes for a criminal defendant, sometimes it’s for a corporation, sometimes it’s for an employee, sometimes it’s for the government, sometimes it’s against the government. That’s how the rule of law works, and that’s good for all Americans.”

“Because of your qualifications and demonstrated record of following the law, other than a few special interest groups, I believe you’ve got a broad spectrum, really surprisingly broad spectrum, of people supporting your nomination.”

“I’m very pleased the American people are about to learn why President Trump chose you as his nominee for the Supreme Court. I look forward to hearing from Judge Gorsuch, and I would encourage my colleagues to carefully consider the nominee on the merits and nothing else.”

“The nation is watching, and I think that’s a really good thing.”

Senator John Cornyn, a Republican from Texas, is a member of the Senate Finance, Intelligence, and Judiciary Committees.

WASHINGTON – Tuesday on the Senate floor, U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) discussed the American Health Care Act. Excerpts of Sen. Cornyn’s remarks are below, and video of his remarks can be found here.

“The fact of the matter is that Obamacare has been one broken promise after another. President Obama and advocates of this law said that if you wanted to keep your plan, you could keep it. But that didn’t pan out.” 

“They said if you liked your doctor, you didn’t have to find another one. That didn’t turn out to be true either. And they promised people across the country would have more coverage, more options, and better health care, all at a more affordable price. Well, that ended up not being true either.”

“Now we have an opportunity to do better for the people we represent, who are counting on us to deliver, to repeal Obamacare and replace it with options that work, and I believe the plan released last night is a major step in the right direction.” 

“Patients need better tools, like health savings accounts…We need to break down the barriers that restrict choice and keep Americans from choosing an insurance plan that works…And we need to empower employers, particularly small business owners, to provide their employees with the kind of affordable coverage that meets their needs.” 

“We need to move health care decisions out of Washington and send them back to the states and back to patients and families and their doctors.” 

“So I’m glad our colleagues in the House and our friends in the White House fully understand why this is such a priority and why we need to keep the promise that we made. As soon as we can do that and deliver on that major promise to the American people, the sooner we do that, a whole lot of American families across the country will feel relief.” 

Senator John Cornyn, a Republican from Texas, is a member of the Senate Finance, Intelligence, and Judiciary Committees