October 30, 2019
Washington, DC
Conservatives support the nomination of Sarah Pitlyk to be a federal judge on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri.
Ms. Pitlyk is a Yale Law school graduate, a former clerk to then-Judge Brett Kavanaugh, and a longtime litigator. She has also worked as a public interest lawyer defending constitutional and civil rights on behalf of the Thomas More Society.
However, her nomination has recently come under attack from abortion activists and the American Bar Association.
Abortion groups have assailed Ms. Pitlyk’s nomination, not only for her public interest advocacy, but also for her connection to Justice Kavanaugh. Their position is simple: no lawyer who has ever argued a pro-life position in a case should ever be allowed on the federal bench. We reject this view wholeheartedly.
The American Bar Association (ABA) has rated Ms. Pitlyk’s nomination negatively. This calls into question the organization’s fairness, as well as the overall consistency of their ratings. The ABA has been happy to give qualified or well-qualified ratings to nominees who have demonstrated far less litigation experience than Sarah Pitlyk.
Consider that the ABA rated Justice Elena Kagan as qualified in 1999 when she was nominated to the D.C. Circuit, despite having never argued a case in front of any court.
The ABA also rated as qualified Judge Allison Nathan on the Southern District of New York, despite being only 11 years out of law school and a longtime law clerk and academic with negligible practical experience.
Ms. Pitlyk’s legal experience is wide-ranging and significant, touching every stage of the litigation process. Moreover, her substantive experience with areas of law, especially constitutional law, makes clear that she will not hesitate to uphold the rule of law and constitutional principles. She is more than qualified to carry out the duties of a federal judge competently and fairly.
President Trump has pledged to select principled, originalist judges. Sarah Pitlyk is a nominee in this mold. We support her nomination and urge her swift confirmation by the Senate.
| The Honorable Edwin Meese III Attorney General President Ronald Reagan (1985-1988) |
Alfred S. Regnery Chairman, Conservative Action Project Chairman, Law Enforcement Legal Defense Fund |
| The Honorable Colin A. Hanna President Let Freedom Ring, Inc. |
The Honorable Morton C. Blackwell President The Leadership Institute |
| Lisa B. Nelson | Marjorie Dannenfelser President Susan B. Anthony List |
| Jenny Beth Martin Chairman Tea Party Patriots Citizen Fund |
Kelly J. Shackelford, Esq. Chairman, CNP Action, Inc. President and CEO, First Liberty Institute |
| Tom McClusky President March for Life Action |
The Honorable J. Kenneth Blackwell Chairman Constitutional Congress, Inc. |
| Noah Wall Vice President of Advocacy FreedomWorks |
The Honorable Jim DeMint Chairman, Conservative Partnership Institute Member, US Senate (SC 2005-2013) |
| Ed Corrigan Vice Chairman, Conservative Action Project Executive Director, Conservative Partnership Institute |
Rachel Bovard Senior Director of Policy Conservative Partnership Institute (CPI) |
| The Honorable Becky Norton Dunlop White House Advisor President Ronald Reagan (1981-1985) |
Thomas Fitton President Judicial Watch, Inc. |
| Penny Y. Nance President & CEO Concerned Women for America |
The Honorable Bob McEwen U.S. House of Representatives Former Member, Ohio |
| The Honorable Donald Paul Hodel U.S. Secretary of Energy (1982-1985) U.S. Secretary of Interior (1985-1989) |
The Honorable Tony Perkins President Family Research Council |
| Grover Glenn Norquist President Americans for Tax Reform |
L. Brent Bozell, III Founder and President Media Research Center |
| Kristan Hawkins President Students for Life Action |
The Honorable Gary L. Bauer President American Values |
| Floyd Brown Chairman America Fighting Back PAC |
The Honorable Tom DeLay Former Majority Leader US House of Representatives |
| Rod D. Martin Founder and CEO The Martin Organization, Inc. |
Sherri R. Martin Executive Vice President The Martin Organization, Inc. |
| Haley E. Martin President The Martin Foundation |
Christina Murphy Lusk Campaign for the American Future |
| The Honorable Jerry Melvin Former Dean Florida House of Representatives |
Shawn Mitchell Former Chaplain National Federation of Republican Assemblies |
| Lewis K. Uhler Founder and President National Tax Limitation Committee |
E.W. Jackson Sr. President STAND Foundation Inc. |
| Judson Phillips Founder Tea Party Nation |
Ralph Benko Chairman The Capitalist League |
| Ron Pearson Executive Director Conservative Victory Fund |
Joseph A. Morris Partner, Morris & De La Rosa Assistant Attorney General, Reagan Administration |
| Mario Navarro da Costa Director, Washington Bureau Tradition, Family, Property |
Amapola Hansberger President Legal Immigrants for America |
| Susan A. Carleson Chairman/CEO Carleson Center for Welfare Reform |
Michael Horowitz CEO, 21st Initiatives Former General Counsel, Office of Management and Budget |
| Charlie Copeland President Intercollegiate Studies Institute |
Jay Mount President MDS Communications Corporation |
| Allen Hebert Chairman American-Chinese Fellowship of Houston |
The Honorable Diana Denman Presidential Appointee President Ronald Regan |
| Peter Thomas Chairman The Conservative Caucus |
Dr. Jerome R. Corsi Founder and CEO CorsiNation.com |
| Seton Motley President Less Government |
Dr. Richard Rounsavelle Trustee Media Research Center |
| Charlie Gerow Vice Chairman American Conservative Union |
Sal Russo Co-Founder and Chief Strategist Tea Party Express |
| Tim Macy Chairman Gun Owners of America |
Dr. Virginia Armstrong Nat’l. Chrmn., Court Watch National Eagle Forum |
| Gary Allan Marx Senior Advisor Judicial Crisis Network |
Kathleen Patten President & CEO American Target Advertising |
| Glenn Preston Story Co-founder & CFO Patriot Mobile |
Tim LeFever Chairman Capitol Resource Institute |
| Ed Martin President Phyllis Schlafly Eagles |
Ron Robinson President Young America’s Foundation |
| Kay R. Daly President Coalition for a Fair Judiciary |
Paavo Ensio Chairman Universal Minerals Group |
| Terry Schilling Executive Director American Principles Project |
William W. Pascoe, III Board Member Tea Party Patriots Action |
| Steve Berger Pastor Grace Chapel |
Elaine Donnelly President Center for Military Readiness |
| Andresen Blom President Hawaiian Values |
C. Preston Noell III President Tradition, Family, Property, Inc. |
| James L. Martin Founder/Chairman 60 Plus Association |
Saulius “Saul” Anuzis President 60 Plus Association |
| The Honorable Mike Hill Representative Florida State House |
Curt Levey President Committee for Justice |
| Joan Holt Lindsey President Lindsey Communications |
Robert Fischer Meeting Coordinator Conservatives of Faith |
| Donna Hearne CEO Constitutional Coalition |
Peggy Dau Representative Iran Alive Ministries |
| Richard D. Hayes Partner Hayes, Berry, White & Vanzant, LLP |
Anthony Saliba CEO Reagan.com |
| Penna Dexter Co-host Point of View Radio |
Randy M. Long Founder Long Business Advisors, LLC |
| Tim Wildmon President American Family Association |
All organizations listed for IDENTIFICATION purposes only.
