Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., warned President Donald Trump's choice to replace retiring Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy "will overturn Roe v. Wade and undo the Affordable Care Act," in a column for The New York Times on Monday.
Schumer notes Trump said during his campaign that since he is "pro-life," then "the judges will be pro-life," as well. He also said he will not "have any catastrophic appointment like [Chief] Justice [John] Roberts," referring to the ruling that upheld the Affordable Care Act.
"Trump is only considering names culled from a list of 25 vetted by the Heritage Foundation and Federalist Society — organizations whose mission is to reverse Roe v. Wade and shrink government's involvement in health care respectively," Schumer writes.
"Given President Trump's explicit litmus test of 'pro-life,' it is virtually certain that anyone on the list of 25 would vote to overturn Roe and very likely to dramatically cut back on healthcare."
The senator adds "for Americans who value our rights and the progress our country has made over the last decade, it is no longer enough to wait until November to safeguard the rights and opportunities we enjoy today.
"The Republican majority in the Senate is razor-thin. One or two votes in the Senate will make the difference between the confirmation and rejection of an ideological nominee. If the Senate rejects an extreme candidate, it would present President Trump the opportunity to instead select a moderate, consensus nominee."
Schumer ends with a call to his fellow legislators who support "protections for those with preexisting conditions and women's reproductive rights" to "lock arms and reject a Supreme Court nominee who would overturn them. It will not happen on its own. It requires the public's focus on these issues, and its pressure on the Senate."
He concludes, "If you do not want a Supreme Court Justice who will overturn Roe v. Wade and undo the Affordable Care Act, tell your senators they should not vote for a candidate from Mr. Trump's preordained list. Democrat, Republican, independent, liberal, or conservative — we should all want a more representative process for choosing the next Supreme Court justice."
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.