Demonstrators protested in support of suspending the confirmation hearing for Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh outside the George W. Bush Presidential Center Sunday as part of NARAL Pro-Choice America’s #UniteforJustice protest.
The Dallas chapters of NARAL, National Organization for Women and Planned Parenthood organized this rally, as part of a national movement.
Michelle Bressi protested with her family for over an hour. Bressi signed up with NARAL and Planned Parenthood Action Committee.
“Senator Grassley from Iowa has omitted a lot of information. He didn’t go through the National Archives like is the normal course of events,” Bressi said. “He pulled some from the White House, ones that would make Brett Kavanaugh look good, but all the rest are at the National Archives, and he refuses to listen to his constituents.”
Senator Dianne Feinstein and nine other senators signed a letter to Senator Grassley stating 97 percent of records are currently withheld from the public and 94 percent of records from the Senate. This letter was released on Aug. 24.
Mia Muric is a NARAL Pro-Choice America Dallas field organizer. Muric said that many of those missing records are available at the George W. Bush Presidential Center from when Kavanaugh was the Bush Administration’s White House staff secretary.
“So, there are lots of records– especially on presidential power expansion, on gay marriage– there are lots of his opinions that are locked up in places like the George W. Bush Center, and it’s really important we put pressure on both our senators and former president George W. Bush and his attorneys to release those records,” Muric said.
Lucy Huang protested as a member of the Dallas chapter of the National Organization for Women. Huang said today is Women’s Equality Day, in celebration of the Nineteenth Amendment.
The Nineteenth Amendment was ratified on Aug. 18, 1920 when two-thirds of the states ratified the amendment. The Nineteenth Amendment took effect on Aug. 26, 1920.
“It is an appropriate day to be protesting the nomination and appointment of Brett Kavanaugh,” Huang said.
Huang described the issues National Organization for Women (NOW) stands for, including but not limited to equal pay, LGBTQ rights and minority rights.
“The appointment of Brett Kavanaugh will pose a severe threat to all these things that we’re standing for,” Huang said. “So that’s what we want people to hear, that our basic rights are at risk, our livelihood.”
Huang said less than 10 percent of Kavanaugh’s records have been released so far.
“And if Congress does not release his records, we are calling on George W. Bush, because he actually worked for three years as a staff secretary for George W.,” Huang said. “So, we’re calling on him and his understanding of him and his understanding of decency and humanity and how the democracy works to release those records.”
Around 1 p.m. the protest was ending. Huang said they would continue to protest online and call Sens. Cruz and Cornyn.
The nationwide rally has been documented under the hashtags #StopKavanaugh and #UniteforJustice.
The heightened call for documents started Wednesday Aug. 22.
On Aug. 15, the National Archives published an article regarding the release of documents related to Kavanaugh. The press release indicates millions of paper and email records pertaining to Kavanaugh are in the George W. Bush Presidential Center and the National Archives.
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Charles Grassley requested about 900,000 records. Senator Dianne Feinstein requested records pertaining to Kavanaugh as staff secretary. The National Archives is working to fulfill these requests. More information regarding requests can be found in the Aug. 15 article.
The National Archives released records pertaining to Kavanaugh’s role as an Associate Independent Counsel. The National Archives also provides links that the public can use to access information on released records related to Kavanaugh.
The Daily Campus is waiting for comment from the George W. Bush Presidential Center regarding the protest.
