Little Lobbyists Statement Opposing Justin Walker’s Confirmation
Little Lobbyists is a family-led organization advocating for children with complex medical needs and disabilities, and we are writing to strongly oppose the confirmation of Justin Reed Walker to the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Kentucky.
Walker’s position on the Affordable Care Act is clear. He called the Supreme Court’s decision to uphold the ACA “indefensible.” In one impassioned defense of Justice Kavanaugh, Walker wrote that “Kavanaugh’s thorough and principled takedown of the mandate was indeed a roadmap for the Supreme Court” justices who said that the ACA was unconstitutional. Walker’s nomination furthers the Administration’s attempts to accomplish through the courts what they could not through Congress: taking affordable health care away from millions of people, including children with complex medical needs and disabilities. President Trump explicitly stated he would nominate judges who would undermine the ACA, and by all accounts, Walker passes President Trump’s test.
Tragically, the stakes for the health and well-being of millions of Americans are all too real. The ACA has saved and improved the lives of our children with complex medical needs and disabilities with its ban on annual/lifetime limits, protections for those with pre-existing conditions, and coverage for essential health benefits, amongst other provisions. As countless medical and advocacy groups have made clear, the ACA yields improved health outcomes, especially in states that have accepted Medicaid expansion, and repealing the ACA would have harmful and potentially fatal consequences on patients and a devastating impact on the American health care system as a whole. If Walker is confirmed, he could spend his lifetime tenure attacking access to affordable health care in this country.
Upon review of his professional experience, we were shocked to learn that Walker has very limited trial experience. He has taken only one deposition in the entirety of his career and has never served as the sole or lead attorney in a case decided in court. Indeed, the American Bar Association rated Walker "not qualified." Clearly, Walker is not being nominated based on any relevant experience; rather, he is being rewarded for his loyalty to a radical, partisan agenda, including his demonstrated hostility to the Affordable Care Act. His confirmation would mean decades of rulings undermining the rights of those most in need of protection, in favor of the wealthy and powerful. Millions of Americans, including our children, cannot afford that.
We urge all senators to oppose Justin Walker’s confirmation to the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Kentucky.
