Slams Democrats’ refusal to discuss radical agenda to destroy Bill of Rights during Day 2 of Judge Amy Coney Barrett’s confirmation hearing
Today, during the initial round of questioning in the confirmation hearing for Judge Amy Coney Barrett, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, highlighted Democrats’ desire to politicize the Supreme Court to achieve their desired policy outcomes, discussed their radical opposition to the Bill of Rights, and called out the blatant hypocrisy of their attacks on “dark money.” Watch Sen. Cruz’s full round of questioning here. Excerpts are included below.
WATCH: Sen. Cruz’s Full Q&A with Judge Amy Coney Barrett on Day 2 of Senate Judiciary Confirmation Hearing
On Democrats’ efforts to turn the Supreme Court into a policymaking body, Sen. Cruz said:
“Right at the heart of this is a decision many Democrats have made to abandon democracy. You see, most policies, policies like Obamacare, policies like healthcare, most policies under our constitutional system are meant to be decided by democratically elected legislatures. Why? So they can be accountable to the people. So if the voters disagree, they can throw the bums out. But too many Democrats have decided today that democracy is too complicated. It’s too hard to actually convince your fellow Americans of the merits of your position. It’s much easier just to give it to the courts. Find five lawyers in black robes and let them decree the policy outcome you want.”
On Democrats’ refusal to discuss their radical opposition to our Bill of Rights, Sen. Cruz said:
“The entire Bill of Rights is incredibly important to Americans. I also think what is really striking about this hearing today and also yesterday is that Senate Democrats are not defending what I think is really a radical agenda that they have when it comes to the Bill of Rights. And the topics they’re discussing today have little bearing to the rights that are really at issue and in jeopardy at the Supreme Court.”
On the hypocrisy of Democrats decrying “dark money,” Sen. Cruz said:
“First of all, our Democratic colleagues, when they address the issue of so-called “dark money” in campaign-finance contributions, are often deeply, deeply hypocritical and don’t address the actual facts that exist. Here’s some facts. Of the top 20 organizations spending money for political speech in the year 2016, 14 of them gave virtually all of their money to Democrats, and another three split the money evenly. […] So, all of the great umbrage about the corporate interests spending ‘dark money’ is wildly in conflict with the actual facts that the corporate interests that are spending “dark money” are funding the Democrats by a factor of 3 to 1 or greater.”
On how Democrats’ radical judicial philosophy would destroy the Second Amendment, Sen. Cruz said:
“The issue in Heller was much more fundamental. It was whether the Second Amendment protects an individual’s right to keep and bear arms at all. The vote in Heller was 5-4 by a vote of five-four the majority struck down the District of Columbia’s total prohibitions on owning and operating a firearm in the District of Columbia. The argument of the four dissenters was not what our Democratic colleagues talk about here. It wasn’t, ‘some reasonable gun control provisions are okay.’ […] The position of the four dissenters was the Second Amendment protection, no individual right to keep and bear arms whatsoever, but merely a quote collective right of the militia, which is fancy lawyer talk for a nonexistent right. […] One vote away from the Second Amendment being erased from the Bill of Rights. None of our Democratic colleagues admit that that is their agenda, and yet those are the justices that Democratic presidential nominees are promising they will appoint.”
On Democrats’ efforts to gut religious liberty protections, Sen. Cruz said:
“I’m sorry to say Senate Democrats introduced legislation to gut the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. The Religious Freedom Restoration Act when it passed this body, passed with an overwhelming bipartisan majority. Senate Democrats, including Chuck Schumer, and Joe Biden, and Ted Kennedy, all voted for the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. Democratic President Bill Clinton signed the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. And yet in the wake of the Hobby Lobby decision, this body voted on legislation to just gut the protections for religious liberty. And I’m sorry to say every single Senate Democrat voted to do so. Not a single one, zero, would defend religious liberty.”
On Democrats’ belief that the government can punish Americans for exercising their right free speech, Sen. Cruz said:
“The Obama Justice Department took the position that it could fine — it could punish Citizens United for daring to make a movie critical of a politician. The case went all of the way to the U.S. Supreme Court at the oral argument, there was a moment that was truly chilling. Justice Sam Alito asked the Obama Justice Department, ‘Is it your position under your theory of the case that the Federal Government can ban books?’ And the Obama Justice Department responded yes. […] As far as I am concerned, that is a terrifying view of the First Amendment. […] By a narrow five-four majority, the Supreme Court concluded the First Amendment did not allow the Federal Government to punish you for making a movie critical of a politician. And likewise that the Federal Government couldn’t ban books. Four justices dissented, four justices were willing to say the federal government can ban books.”
Watch Sen. Cruz’s opening remarks during day one of the confirmation hearing here. Read about Sen. Cruz’s meeting with Judge Amy Coney Barrett here. Learn more about Sen. Cruz’s leadership in the efforts to confirm Judge Amy Coney Barrett here.