Washington, DC — The Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance (APALA), AFL-CIO condemns the Senate confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh as the next Justice to the Supreme Court of the United States.

Alvina Yeh, APALA Executive Director, notes, “Brett Kavanaugh’s shameful anti-immigrant, anti-worker judicial record should have disqualified him to begin with, and the combative, partisan, and dishonest testimony he gave further cemented that he is unfit for the Supreme Court. As a Justice, Kavanaugh poses a threat for working people across the nation. In his time as a district court judge, his record shows that he will prioritize corporate greed over working people, having ruled against collective bargaining, protections for discrimination in the workplace, the right of employees to receive employer-provided healthcare, and much more.” 

APALA National President Monica Thammarath stated, “APALA stands with Dr. Christine Blasey Ford, and all survivors of sexual assault. The rushed confirmation process has made it clear: Judge Kavanaugh, the Trump administration, the GOP, and the senators who voted for Kavanaugh don’t care about the truth or real life experiences of women and survivors. They are willing to put politics over the integrity of the Supreme Court and lower the standards for any future Supreme Court nominee.” 

“With protests erupting throughout the country against a sham process for a sham judge, it is clear the people in power do not represent the majority,” added Yeh. “There was no justice the day Brett Kavanaugh was confirmed to the Supreme Court, and we will not let our senators forget who they are supposed to represent.”  

“This past summer, the Supreme Court dealt a blow to working people with its 5-4 decision in Janus v. AFSCME, and with Kavanaugh confirmed, we can only expect more challenges for working people and our right to collectively bargain,” continued Thammarath. “With a track record like his, we cannot count on him to make fair decisions. APALA won’t stop fighting to protect immigrants and working people.”  

The Supreme Court will decide on major cases that will impact our communities, such as the right to organize and other workers’ rights, women’s rights, abortion rights, affirmative action, the death penalty, LGBTQ rights, immigrant rights, and much more.

We are grateful for the thousands of survivors and activists who have shared their stories and fought his nomination. We will move forward with their fierce activism and continue to defend the rights of our communities.

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