Immigration Ban, Reported Defiance of Court Orders Necessitates Additional Hearings before Jeff Sessions’ A.G. Vote

Common Cause calls on the United States Senate to delay a Judiciary Committee vote and hold additional hearings on the nomination of Jeff Sessions to serve as Attorney General in the wake of the executive order on immigration and the Trump Administration’s reported refusal to comply with federal court orders blocking full enforcement of the ban on constitutional and federal legal grounds. In a letter sent to the Senate Judiciary Committee, Leadership, and the full Senate, Common Cause urges further questioning of Sessions in light of the refusal by some authorities to comply with multiple court orders to suspend enforcement of the immigration ban.

“A secure America is guided by our constitution, ensuring every American is equal in the eyes of the law and that begins with the Attorney General,” said Common Cause President Karen Hobert Flynn. “Given reports that the authorities questioned a court order staying the Trump Administration’s executive order creating the immigration ban, Sen. Jeff Sessions must assure the Senate and the public that he and the Trump Administration will not see themselves as above the law or his nomination must be rejected by the Senate.”

“Senator Sessions has been nominated to serve as the nation’s top law enforcement official and Americans need answers as to whether he will obey and enforce the law and ensure federal authorities comply with federal court orders,” said Hobert Flynn. “The Attorney General must serve as an advisor to the President and to the heads of executive agencies upon request, and must be a check when an Administration exceeds its legal rights. Senator Sessions must reassure his colleagues in the Senate that he is up to fulfilling that role, particularly in light of the recent immigration order and the botched White House effort to ensure federal authorities comply with court orders.”

The Judiciary Committee vote on the nomination of Jeff Sessions is currently scheduled for 9:30 a.m. tomorrow.  

To read the letter, click here.