Trump nominee William Barr is Jeff Sessions with more hair and even more extreme views.
Millions of people were relieved when Jeff Sessions resigned as U.S. attorney general. Sessions left in his wake two years of relentless attacks on the civil rights of women, immigrants, people of color, and LGBTQ people. For many, his reign as attorney general meant living under the constant threat of losing their most basic rights.
But William Barr, Trump’s nominee to replace Sessions, could pose an even greater threat to our health and rights. During the month of February, our senators will vote on whether to confirm Barr as U.S. attorney general.
Who's William Barr? He's Sessions 2.0
The U.S. attorney general, which oversees the Department of Justice, is supposed to protect our rights and defend our freedoms. But Barr has shown time and again that he won’t.
Photo: Gage Skidmore, Flickr
Barr is a big fan of Sessions and his work to further the Trump agenda. When Sessions resigned, Barr praised him as "an outstanding attorney general." In a groveling op-ed, he commended Sessions’ efforts to roll back an ASTOUNDING range of civil rights protections.
They're two peas in a pod. Just look!
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Jeff Sessions |
William Barr |
ABORTION ACCESS |
Defended the administration’s unconstitutional efforts to block access to safe and legal abortion. |
Thinks Roe v. Wade should be overturned. |
IMMIGRANT RIGHTS |
Defended measures to cruelly separate immigrant families, jail pregnant immigrants, and block asylum-seekers from seeking safety in the U.S.
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Applauded Sessions’ anti-immigrant actions. Defended detaining HIV-positive immigrants without access to lawyers or health care. |
LGBTQ RIGHTS |
Empowered businesses to use religion as an excuse to discriminate against LGBTQ people. Reversed civil rights protections for transgender students
|
Applauded Sessions’ anti-LGBTQ actions. Wrote that the government should promote laws that "restrain sexual immorality." |
Barr Has a Terrifying Record on Reproductive Rights and Access to Abortion
At his 1991 Senate confirmation hearing, Barr said Roe v. Wade — the Supreme Court case that affirmed the right to access abortion nationwide — should be overturned, and that the issue of abortion should be left to the states. Sure enough, he followed through on working to restrict access to abortion.
Under Barr’s leadership, the U.S. government argued against access to abortion in the 1992 case Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania v. Casey. The case weakened Roe v. Wade and opened the door to harmful state restrictions on abortion. Around the same time, Barr urged a federal court to let anti-abortion activists in Kansas continue their dangerous intimidation tactic of physically blocking people from entering abortion providers.
Barr’s record also suggests he’s opposed to access to birth control — which is already under attack by the Trump-Pence administration. Barr served on the Board of Advisors for the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, a group that fought the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) contraception benefit.
How All of This Affects You and the People You Care About
Barr on Reproductive Rights and Access to Abortion
- Barr could decide not to defend Roe v. Wade if it were challenged in the Supreme Court — which we’re fully expecting to happen.
- He could even play a part in helping the government argue to overturn Roe v. Wade. Right now, 20 states are poised to ban abortion if Roe v. Wade is overturned. This means over 25 million women of reproductive age — or more than a third of women of reproductive age in America — could lose access to safe and legal abortion.
- As attorney general, Barr would also advise the president on what laws to veto — like legislation to protect access to abortion or birth control coverage.
- He could also decide NOT to enforce federal laws he doesn’t like — such as the law safeguarding people who enter health centers that provide abortion.
Bar on Fair Treatment of Immigrants and Their Families
- He expressed strong support for the administration's wave of anti-immigration policies that make it harder for asylum-seekers who enter the United States to stay in the country.
- He said he wants to make it EVEN harder for asylum-seekers to reach U.S. soil.
- He decried so-called sanctuary cities. That’s no surprise from the guy who once held asylum-seekers in an “HIV prison camp.
Barr on LGBTQ Health and Rights
- He said he opposes using anti-discrimination measures to protect gender identity and sexual orientation.
- He thinks anti-discrimination laws should be interpreted as they were in 1964: to exclude protections for transgender people.
Tell Your Senators to #StopBarr!
We need you to call your senators now at 202-816-6461.
We can't afford more attacks on our rights. Demand your senators vote AGAINST the Trump administration's agenda and reject Barr's nomination.
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