WASHINGTON – Today, following a dissent by Members of the Supreme Court that called into question the Court’s 2015 decision to uphold marriage equality as a constitutional right, Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07) released the following statement:

“Thanks to the tireless work of organizers and advocates all over this country, the Supreme Court in recent decades has played a central role in protecting the rights of LGBTQ+ Americans, from marriage equality, to nondiscrimination protections for queer and trans people. But over the last four years, we have seen a precise, coordinated assault on the rights and basic humanity of the LGBTQ+ community—led by Donald Trump and Republicans in Congress. Yesterday’s dissenting opinion from Justices Thomas and Alito paints a chilling picture of the ways that a conservative Supreme Court could further continue this relentless assault on basic protections for our LGBTQ+ neighbors.

“After nominating and installing over 200 far-right judges to the federal bench, Republicans now seek to install Amy Coney Barrett, who has demonstrated time and again her hostility toward the LGBTQ+ community and their fundamental human rights in her statements and rulings. We cannot stand by and allow the confirmation of someone set on dismantling the hard-fought progress of LGBTQ+ Americans and other marginalized communities. We cannot allow them to take our nation backwards. We need and deserve a justice who will affirm the humanity and freedoms of LGBTQ people everywhere—people who seek only to be received as their full selves.”

Congresswoman Pressley has repeatedly called for the delay of a vote on any Supreme Court nomination until after the inauguration of a new President in January.

# # #