The Senate Judiciary Committee today will pass the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to the floor of the Senate for an up or down vote. Despite the threats of filibuster, I am confident that Brett Kavanaugh will be confirmed as a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. I have known Brett for a number of years and have worked with him on variety of cases. He will be an excellent Court of Appeals judge. The rancor coming from the Senate Minority Party has been at a fevered pitch over the last several weeks concerning the issue of judicial nominations. The President is prepared to send 20 more nominees to the Judiciary Committee. I anticipate that this issue will be front and center in the weeks ahead.
I also want to update you on the Mt. Soledad cross situation in San Diego. The legislative initiative introduced by Senator Jim Battin did not pass through the Senate Judiciary Committee. This was not a surprise because the California Senate Judiciary Committee is controlled by members who are sympathetic to the ACLUs position of removing all religious symbolism from American public life. I had Senator Jim Battin on our radio broadcast today, and he is now discussing the need for a possible state-wide referendum. In the interim, our lawyers are working on this issue and doing research necessary to prepare friend-of-the-court briefs to be filed on behalf of San Diego and to the Courts of Appeals as well. We are seeing a groundswell of support from around the country. Currently, we have seen over 15,000 people sign up to support the city of San Diegos fight to maintain the war memorial at Mt. Soledad. Our goal is 100,000 signatures over the next several weeks. If you have not yet signed up, you can do so by clicking here. Also posted on our website is a transcript of my appearance last night on Hannity & Colmes. I will also been on Sean Hannitys radio program today.
As I mentioned previously, San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders said that he will continue to pursue an aggressive legal strategy to maintain the cross on Mt. Soledad. I have included below a portion of our Daily Trial Notebook from earlier in the week to give you an overview of this case:
Mayor Says He Will Fight to Maintain Cross War Memorial
San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders said that he will continue a 17-year legal battle to maintain the cross on Mt. Soledad. The ACLU brought a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the cross, and a federal court judge ordered its removal within 90 days. Mayor Sanders noted that this is not simply about a Christian symbol. Recently at a rally of supporters at Soledad Natural Park in La Jolla, CA, Sanders said that [w]hat this boils down to is preserving a nationally registered war memorial that is an integral part of San Diego history.
U.S. District Court Judge Gordon Thompson ordered the city to remove the reinforced concrete cross from city property within 90 days or be fined each day that it remains. Sanders noted that a referendum was passed with 75% of the voters supporting the cross war memorial. At the rally, Sanders said, You have given me my marching orders, and I intend to carry them out. Sanders has urged the City Council to send his lawyers to the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals to obtain a stay that would suspend Thompsons order as this case continues on appeals, both in the state and federal court system.
I have instructed a senior team at the American Center for Law & Justice to file briefs representing our interests, and that of our members, in this important case. Senior Counsel Frank Manion will be heading up this project. What is interesting to note is that the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in its previous ruling did not say that the cross had to be dismantled. After the decision came out, the city arranged for the sale of the property, and the federal government passed legislation to accept the monument. The city attorney has now said that he supports the strategy to pursue all legal matters in order to preserve the monument. He noted that [w]e owe it to the voters to do everything we can.