Ernst swore to protect the Constitution

When Sen. Joni Ernst launched her re-election campaign, both she and Sen. Chuck Grassley spoke about their agenda to stack the courts with 'conservative” judges.

What they failed to mention is that Grassley held up a Supreme Court nominee for 422 days, with the help of Senate Repulican Leader McConnell. Ernst, Grassley and McConnell are throwing out Senate rules in order to politicize the courts and appoint partisan judges at a dizzying pace.

Trump has already appointed dozens of narrow-minded elitists for lifetime positions throughout our federal courts. What Ernst and Grassley are calling 'conservative” judges often have extreme viewpoints. Recently, the Senate voted to confirm Matthew Kacsmaryk to a lifetime federal judgeship despite his record of hostility toward LGBTQ rights and abortion rights.

Appellate courts resolve tens of thousands of court cases each year, often serving as the final word on issues like voting rights, environmental protections, LGBTQ rights, job discrimination, workers' rights and reproductive rights. Filling the country's appeals courts with right-wing judges would put our core liberties in jeopardy.

Our nation was founded on three co-equal branches of government. This system was put in place to maintain a balance of power. Ernst has sworn an oath to protect the Constitution, not her party or the president.

Randy Jacobson

Cedar Rapids