1. United States
2. Mo.
3. Letter

OPPOSE the confirmations of Jordan Pratt, who has been nominated for the Middle District Court of Florida, and Chad Meredith, nominated for the Eastern District of Kentucky. These candidates are not qualified to be federal judges; they both have histories of putting their own biases above the law. Pratt’s record as a Florida state judge shows that he is a judicial activist who is willing to ignore judicial norms to impose his views on the law. In one recent case, Pratt ignored legal precedent to deny a young woman’s petition for waiver of parental notice and consent in order to obtain an abortion. Instead, he went out of his way to reach a result that would prohibit such waivers based on the U.S. Constitution, despite the fact that states have permitted these waivers for 50 years. Pratt has shown little regard for binding court precedents, particularly when they conflict with his anti-abortion and anti-LGBTQ views. His history of attacking the rights of pregnant people and LGBTQ people raises serious concerns about his commitment to fairness and treating all litigants equally. Similarly, Meredith is a dedicated opponent of reproductive rights who cares little about the impact of the anti-abortion laws he defends on pregnant people. Representing Kentucky, Meredith defended laws requiring patients to receive an unnecessary and traumatic ultrasound before they can receive an abortion. He argued that pregnant patients “don’t understand the nature of the fetus within them,” and that the state better understands patients’ medical needs than the patients themselves or their doctors. Meredith frequently uses false and disingenuous arguments to defend extreme anti-abortion laws. For example, he claimed it was not a burden to require people to travel over 150 miles to get an abortion, that a Tennessee abortion ban was really about preventing discrimination, and that a law setting strict new licensing requirements was not about shutting down abortion clinics, even though it had absolutely no safety benefits. I find it difficult to believe that people seeking access to reproductive healthcare could get a fair hearing in his courtroom. These nominees are extremists who oppose critical laws that protect the civil rights and well-being of women, girls, and LGBTQ people. OPPOSE the confirmations of Jordan Pratt to the Middle District of Florida and Chad Meredith to the Eastern District of Kentucky.