Senate Committee Advances Yet Another Anti-Abortion Judicial Nominee

Planned Parenthood calls on the full Senate to reject Michael Liburdi’s nomination 

One in 10 judges in lifetime seats are now Trump appointees

WASHINGTON — Today, the Senate Judiciary Committee voted to advance another of Trump’s anti-abortion nominees, Michael Liburdi, for the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona. The nomination passed out of committee in a party-line vote. Liburdi has defined his political career with overt hostility to reproductive health care. He led the Arizona Right to Life Political Action Committee, which supports politicians with anti-abortion records. He then served in Arizona Governor Doug Ducey’s campaigns and administration, which has forced through some of the most extreme restrictions on abortion in the country. Liburdi has also endorsed the unpopular Supreme Court decision Burwell v. Hobby Lobby, which permits certain employers to deny their employees’ access to birth control. The decision applied to more than half of all U.S. workers.

Statement from Dana Singiser, Senior Vice President for Policy, Campaigns and Advocacy, Planned Parenthood Action Fund:

In nominating Michael Liburdi, the Trump-Pence administration is continuing to fill our courts with biased judges who will take away our health and rights every chance they get. Liburdi’s confirmation would pose great harm to Arizonans. The courts have been a critical backstop to dangerous policies pushed by Arizona politicians, including efforts to block care at Planned Parenthood and a law forcing doctors to tell their patients medically inaccurate and misleading information. People look to the courts to protect their health and rights, not take them away — as Liburdi’s records suggests he would do. We call on the Senate to oppose Liburdi’s confirmation.

The Senate Judiciary Committee has advanced the confirmation of many of Trump’s extreme nominees that now, nearly one in ten judges in lifetime federal seats are Trump appointees and many of them hold anti-reproductive health records.

BACKGROUND ON MICHAEL LIBURDI:

In Arizona, Liburdi has defined his career by supporting both the politicians and policies aimed at taking away access to reproductive health care, including safe, legal abortion.

• As chairman of the extreme Arizona Right to Life Political Action Committee (PAC) from 2010-2014, Michael Liburdi endorsed and funded Arizona politicians with anti-abortion records.
• The Arizona Right to Life PAC endorsed Governor Doug Ducey in 2014, and Liburdi worked on Ducey’s gubernatorial campaigns in 2014 and 2018. Ducey ran on an anti-abortion platform and has signed into law medically unnecessary restrictions during every legislative session.
• Liburdi served as Governor Ducey’s general counsel from 2015-2018, and during that time Ducey signed laws restricting access to medication abortion in Arizona against the advice of the medical community. One law Ducey signed would have effectively forced people to make four trips to a health center for medication abortion. Another law, which was blocked by the courts, would have required doctors to tell patients medically inaccurate and misleading information that could be harmful to their health.
• Liburdi has belittled the impact of the landmark Hobby Lobby decision, which allowed certain employers to deny their employees’ access to birth control. 

### 

Planned Parenthood Action Fund is an independent, nonpartisan, not-for-profit membership organization formed as the advocacy and political arm of Planned Parenthood Federation of America. The Action Fund engages in educational, advocacy and electoral activity, including grassroots organizing, legislative advocacy, and voter education.