Open Letter From Conservative Leaders
Senate Republicans Are Resolute: Let the People Speak!

March 15, 2016
Washington, D.C.

Last month our country lost a great American and a great jurist, Justice Antonin Scalia.

The country barely had time to absorb that loss when we were forced to confront the prospect of President Obama filling that Supreme Court vacancy and creating a liberal majority on the Court.

This would be an unprecedented shift in the direction of the Court undertaken at a time when the entire country is embroiled in the most contentious presidential campaign in modern history. Government in Washington is divided and dysfunctional. The American people are going to the polls in November to select a new president and a new Congress. They should also have a say in the direction of the Court.

Senate Republicans have announced that they will exercise their constitutional advice and consent authority and refuse to consent to any Obama nominee. The American people deserve to have their voice heard in the process. We applaud Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and Senate Judiciary Chairman Charles Grassley (R-IA), for promising not to hold a hearing on any nominee.

President Obama wants to deny the American people that choice. And no wonder. He has already made two extreme liberal appointments to the Court and if given a third he will have succeeded in decisively changing the current balance of the Court. A liberal majority will rule for decades.

Let there be no mistake about it: President Obama will nominate a liberal to this vacancy. Press leaks about potential “moderate” candidates should be interpreted as simply misdirection from the White House.

The president and his liberal allies know what is at stake and so do we. It is nothing short of their intent to eradicate precious constitutional rights. These leftists have made clear their first target is our 1st Amendment right to political speech and the silencing of conservative voices. They mock the 2nd Amendment right of the people to protect themselves and their families and are determined to take away our constitutional right to bear arms. They welcome the prospect of unleashing unaccountable federal agencies like the IRS and EPA to impose a liberal policy agenda that will harm Americans and punish any who dare to disagree with their worldview. And not least of all, they vow to use the Court’s power to impose an “unconditional surrender” in their cultural war against our fundamental institutions of faith, family, marriage, home, and school — and will wipe out any pro-life protections, instead imposing abortion on-demand, up to the moment of birth, paid for by the taxpayers.

We are facing a national constitutional crisis. Senate Republicans have recognized the stakes and have acted accordingly. As conservatives, we strongly support them and their principled stand in favor of the Constitution. And we are all too aware of the negative assault that is coming against the Republican Senators as the national media throws its collective liberal weight against the GOP efforts to allow the American people to play their rightful role in the nomination of the next Supreme Court justice.

We are committed to acting with the same unity the GOP Senate has demonstrated to date in order to bring these issues to the forefront, to make clear to the American people what is at stake and to rally our fellow citizens to the cause of saving the Constitution.

The Honorable Edwin Meese III
Former Attorney General
President Ronald Reagan

The Honorable Becky Norton Dunlop
Chairman, Conservative Action Project
Former White House Advisor, President Ronald Reagan

Ali Akbar
Senior Advisor
Black Conservatives Fund

Gary Aldrich
Chairman
CNP Action, Inc.

Anthony Allen
President
Hannibal-LaGrange University

Art Ally
President
Timothy Plan Mutual Fund Family

Sharron Angle
President
National Federation of Republican Assemblies

Diana L. Banister
President
Shirley & Banister Public Affairs

Ellen L. Barrosse
Chairman
RNC Conservative Steering Committee

Gary L. Bauer
President
American Values

Lee Beaman
Owner
Beaman Automotive Group

E. Calvin Beisner
Founder & National Spokesman
The Cornwall Alliance for the Stewardship of Creation

Kimberly Bellissimo
Founder and CEO, ForthRight Strategy
Board Member, American Conservative Union

The Honorable J. Kenneth Blackwell
Chairman
Constitutional Congress, Incorporated

Andresen Blom
Executive Director
Grassroot Hawaii Action, Inc.

Kenneth F. Boehm
Chairman
National Legal and Policy Center

David N. Bossie
President
Citizens United

L. Brent Bozell, III
Founder and President
Media Research Center

Adam Brandon
President and CEO
FreedomWorks

Floyd Brown
President
Western Center for Journalism

Herman Cain
President and C.E.O.
www.hermancain.com

Frank Cannon
President
American Principles Project

Susan Carleson
Chairman and CEO
American Civil Rights Union

The Honorable Bruce Chapman
Founder and Chairman of the Board
Discovery Institute

Charles J. Cooper
Cooper & Kirk, PLLC

Lou Cordia
President
Cordia and Associates

Ed Corrigan
Former Executive Director
Senate Steering Committee

The Honorable T. Kenneth Cribb, Jr.
Former Counselor
U.S. Attorney General Edwin Meese III

Chuck Cushman
Reagan Parks Advisory Board Appointee
President, American Land Rights Association

Marjorie Dannenfelser
President
Susan B. Anthony List

Col Francis X. De Luca USMCR (Ret)
President
Civitas Institute

Midge Decter
Author and Journalist

Tom DeLay
Former Majority Leader
U.S. House of Representatives

The Honorable Donald J. Devine
Former Director
U.S. Office of Personnel Management

Dr. James C. Dobson
Founder & President
Dr. James Dobson’s FamilyTalk

John Dodd
President
Jesse Helms Center

Tom Donelson
Chairman
Americas PAC

Elaine Donnelly
Founder and President
Center for Military Readiness

Dr. Larry Eastland
Former Staff Asst to the President
President Gerald Ford

Tricia Erickson
President
Angel Pictures & Publicity

Sheri Few
President, United States Parents Involved in Education (USPIE)

Mark Fitzgibbons
President of Corporate Affairs
American Target Advertising, Inc.

Kevin D. Freeman
Founder
NSIC Institute

Sandra S. Froman, Esq.
Treasurer
Council for National Policy

Frank J. Gaffney
President
Center for Security Policy

Alan Gottlieb
Founder and Executive Vice President
Second Amendment Foundation

The Honorable Colin A. Hanna
President
Let Freedom Ring, Inc.

Kristan J. Hawkins
President
Students for Life

Donna Hearne
Chief Executive Officer
Constitutional Coalition

Allen J. Hébert
Director
American Chinese Fellowship

Todd W. Herrick
Chairman of the Board
Herrick Foundation

Jerry A. Johnson, Ph.D.
President and CEO
National Religious Broadcasters

David Keene
Opinion Editor
The Washington Times

Kevin Kookogey
President and Founder
The Advancing Church

Patrick S. Korten
Former Director of Public Affairs
U.S. Department of Justice

Andrea Lafferty
President
Traditional Values Coalition

Raymond J. LaJeunesse, Jr.
VP & Legal Director, National Right to
Work Legal Defense Foundation, Inc.

Adam Paul Laxalt
Nevada Attorney General

Wiles K. Lee
Executive Vice President
National Federation of Republican Assemblies

Tim LeFever
Chairman
Capitol Resource Institute

Curt Levey
Executive Director
FreedomWorks Foundation

Dr. Herbert I. London
President
London Center for Policy Research

Matt Mackowiak
Executive Director
Fight for Tomorrow

Michael C. Maibach
Co-Chair & Founder
Alexandria Republican Roundtable

Christopher N. Malagisi
President
Young Conservatives Coalition

Richard Manning
President
Americans for Limited Government

Rod D. Martin
Founder and CEO
The Martin Organization

Sherri R. Martin
The Martin Foundation

Jenny Beth Martin
Co-Founder & President
Tea Party Patriots

Gary Marx
Former Executive Director
Judicial Crisis Network

Bradley Mattes
President
Life Issues Institute

Tom McClusky
Vice President
March for Life Action

The Honorable Bob McEwen
U.S. House of Representatives
Former Member, Ohio

The Honorable David McIntosh
U.S. House of Representatives
Former Member, Indiana

Jerry Melvin
President
Florida Republican Assembly

The Honorable James C. Miller III
Former Director of OMB
President Ronald Reagan

Cleta Mitchell, Esq.
Partner
Foley & Lardner, LLP

Shawn Mitchell
Chaplain
National Federation of Republican Assemblies

Michael A. Needham
Chief Executive Officer
Heritage Action for America

Sean Noble
President
American Encore

C. Preston Noell III
President
Tradition, Family, Property, Inc.

Grover Glenn Norquist
President
Americans for Tax Reform

Melissa Ortiz
Founder & Principal
Able Americans

William W. Pascoe, III
Partner
Antietam Communications

Ron Pearson
Executive Director
Conservative Victory Fund

The Honorable Tony Perkins
President
Family Research Council

Judson Phillips
Founder
Tea Party Nation

Dr. Don Racheter
Vice-Chairman, Iowa Second Congressional
District Republican Party

Alfred S. Regnery
Chairman
Law Enforcement Legal Defense Fund

The Honorable Edward J. Rollins
Former Assistant to President Reagan

Allen Roth
President
Secure America Now

Ronald D. Rotunda
Professor of Jurisprudence
Chapman University

Anthony Saliba
CEO
Saliba Venture Management

Joel Anand Samy
Co-Founder and President
International Leaders Summit

Phyllis Schlafly
Founder and Chairman
Eagle Forum

Matt Schlapp
Chairman
American Conservative Union

Daniel Schneider
Executive Director
American Conservative Union

Tommy Sears
Independent Consultant

Carrie Severino
Judicial Crisis Network

Kelly Shackelford, Esq.
President, CEO & Chief Counsel
First Liberty Institute

J. Michael Smith, Esq.
President
Home School Legal Defense Association

The Honorable Mike Spence
President
Conservative Republicans of California

Mathew D. Staver, Esq., B.C.S.
Founder and Chairman
Liberty Counsel

Nicholas Stehle
Campaign for the American Future

Forest Thigpen
President
Mississippi Center for Public Policy

Peter J. Thomas
Chairman
Americans for Constitutional Liberty

Lewis K. Uhler
Founder and President
National Tax Limitation Committee

Richard A. Viguerie
Chairman
ConservativeHQ.com

William L. Walton
Vice President
Council for National Policy

Edward Whelan
President
Ethics and Public Policy Center

Allen Whitt
President
Family Policy Council & Family Policy Institute

(All organizations listed for IDENTIFICATION purposes only)

==================

Signatures Updated March 21, 2016

Cathie Adams
Former Chairman
Republican Party of Texas

Jackie Archer
Co-Founder
Tennessee Textbook Advocates

Dan Backer
President
Coolidge Reagan Foundation

Ian Bayne
Host
The Ian Bayne Morning Show

Dr. David Black
Chairman
2nd Vote

The Honorable Morton Blackwell
Chairman
The Weyrich Lunch

Rich Bott
President & CEO
Bott Radio Network

Dick Bott
Founder & Chairman
Bott Radio Network

Taylor Budowich
Executive Director
Tea Party Express

Anthony T. (Tom) Caso
Clinical Professor of Law, Dale E. Fowler School of Law, Chapman University
Director, Constitutional Jurisprudence Clinic

Demos Chrissos
President
RapidResponse Media, Inc.

Roger Clegg
President & General Counsel
Center for Equal Opportunity

Darrell Cockerham
Hood County Judge

Dr. J. Lee Douglas, DDS
Founder & President
912 Project Tennessee

Joe Dugan
Founder, Executive Producer
South Carolina Tea Party Coalition Convention

Dr. John C. Eastman, Ph.D.
Founding Director
The Claremont Institute’s Center for Constitutional Jurisprudence

Dick G. Ellis, MD

Steven Ertelt
Editor
LifeNews.com

Joseph Farah
Editor and Chief Executive Officer
WND.com, WND Books, WND Films

Robert K. Fischer
Meeting Coordinator
Conservatives of Faith

Steve Fitschen
President
The National Legal Foundation

Martin Fox
President
National Pro-Life Alliance

Elizabeth Graham
Director
Texas Right to Life

Ellen Grigsby
Director of Institutional Partnerships
Open Doors USA

Rebecca Hagelin
President & CEO
Rebecca Hagelin Communications and Marketing, LLC

Heather Higgins
President & CEO
Independent Women’s Voice

The Honorable Mike Hill
Representative (District 2)
Florida State House of Representatives

Donna Rice Hughes
President & CEO
Enough is Enough

Niger Innis
Chairman
Tea Party Forward

Ben Johnson
U.S. Bureau Chief
LifeSiteNews.com

Gerrye Johnston
Founder & CEO
Women for Democracy in America, Inc.

Bryan Kemper
President
Stand True Pro-life Outreach

Alveda King
Pastoral Associate
Priests For Life and Gospel of Life Ministries

Kelly Monroe Kullberg
Founder & President
The American Conservancy

Tim Lambert
Texas Home School Coalition

The Honorable Doug Lamborn
Member (CO-5)
U.S. House of Representatives

Dr. Richard Lee
President
There’s Hope America

Michael R. Long
State Chairman
NYS Conservative Party

Tim Macy
Chairman
Gun Owners of America

Shaun McCutcheon
Chairman
Conservative Action Fund

Maria McFadden
Editor
Human for Life Review

Carolyn Meadows
Vice President
American Conservative Union

Terri Miller
Board Member, Texas Federation of Republican Women
Precinct Chair, Denton Co. 1031

Gene Mills
President
Louisiana Family Forum

Bruce John Moran
Senior National Security Advisor
Security Solutions Technology

Janet Morana
Executive Director
Priests For Life

Malcolm S. Morris
Attorney at Law

Len Munsil
President
Arizona Christian University

Penny Nance
CEO & President
Concerned Women for America

Steve Noble
Host
Called2Action Radio

Adelle Park
Founder
Moore TEA Citizens

Father Frank Pavone
National Director
Priests For Life

Cindy Pugh
Member (District 33B)
Minnesota House of Representatives

John Radell
Director
Christian Citizens United

Russell J. Ramsland, Jr.
Leader, Park Cities/Preston Hollow Leadership Forum
Candidate (TX-32), U.S. House of Representatives

Ralph Reed
Chairman
Faith & Freedom Coalition

Sandy Rios
Director of Governmental Affairs
AFA

Ron Robinson
President
Young America’s Foundation

Austin Ruse
President
Center for Family & Human Rights (C-Fam)

Sabrina Schaeffer
Executive Director
Independent Women’s Forum

Virginia Schloredt
PCO Officer, Florence
10th LD, 2nd CD, WA State

Nancy Schulze
Founder
Republican Congressional Wives Speakers

Douglas R. Scott, Jr.
President
Life Decisions International

Richard G. Scurry
Co-Founder
Bible Literacy Project

Alan Sears
President, CEO and General Counsel
Alliance Defending Freedom

Natasha Srdoc
Co-Founder
International Leaders Summit

Michael Quinn Sullivan
President
Empower Texans

Carol A. Taber
President
FamilySecurityMatters.org

Mark Tooley
President
Institute on Religion and Democracy

Trey Trainor
Partner
Beirne, Maynard & Parsons, L.L.P.

Dave Wallace, II
Candidate (MD)
United States Senate

Pete Weyrich
Conservative Activist

Tim Wildmon
President
American Family Association

Tom Winter
Editor in Chief Emeritus
HumanEvents.com

(All organizations listed for IDENTIFICATION purposes only)

==================

Alabama

Shaun McCutcheon

Arizona

Floyd Brown
Sandra S. Froman, Esq.
Len Munsil
Sean Noble
Alan Sears

Arkansas
Nicholas Stehle

California
Taylor Budowich
Anthony T. (Tom) Caso
Dr. Larry Eastland
Dr. John C. Eastman, Ph.D.
Tim LeFever
Tim Macy
Ronald D. Rotunda
The Honorable Mike Spence
Lewis K. Uhler

Colorado
Dr. James C. Dobson
Steven Ertelt
The Honorable Doug Lamborn

District of Columbia
Kimberly Bellissimo
David N. Bossie
Adam Brandon
Frank Cannon
Charles J. Cooper
Ed Corrigan
Marjorie Dannenfelser
The Honorable Donald J. Devine
Joseph Farah
Frank J. Gaffney
David Keene
Andrea Lafferty
Tom McClusky
Carolyn Meadows
Cleta Mitchell, Esq.
Michael A. Needham
Grover Glenn Norquist
Melissa Ortiz
Ron Pearson
The Honorable Tony Perkins
Sabrina Schaeffer
Matt Schlapp
Daniel Schneider
Mark Tooley
Pete Weyrich
Edward Whelan
Tom Winter

Delaware
Ellen L. Barrosse
John Radell

Florida
Art Ally
Calvin Beisner
Rebecca Hagelin
The Honorable Mike Hill
Rod D. Martin
Sherri R. Martin
Jerry Melvin
Shawn Mitchell
Mathew D. Staver, Esq., B.C.S.

Georgia
Herman Cain
Alveda King
Dr. Richard Lee
Jenny Beth Martin
Gary Marx
Ralph Reed

Hawaii
Andresen Blom
Willes Lee

Illinois
Ian Bayne
Bruce John Moran
Anthony Saliba
Phyllis Schlafly

Indiana
The Honorable David McIntosh

Iowa
Tom Donelson
Dr. Don Racheter

Kansas
Dick Bott
Rich Bott

Louisiana
Gene Mills

Maryland
Gerrye Johnston
Dave Wallace, II

Michigan
Elaine Donnelly
Todd W. Herrick

Minnesota
Cindy Pugh

Mississippi
Forest Thigpen
Tim Wildmon

Missouri
Anthony Allen
Donna Hearne

Nevada
Sharron Angle
Niger Innis
Adam Paul Laxalt

New Hampshire
Peter J. Thomas

New Jersey
Carol A. Taber

New York
Midge Decter
Heather Higgins
Dr. Herbert I. London
Michael R. Long
Maria McFadden
Janet Morana
Father Frank Pavone
The Honorable Edward J. Rollins
Allen Roth

North Carolina
Col Francis X. De Luca USMCR(Ret)
John Dodd
Tricia Erickson
Steve Noble
Adelle Park
Nancy Schulze

Ohio
The Honorable J. Kenneth Blackwell
Ben Johnson
Bryan Kemper
Kelly Monroe Kullberg
Bradley Mattes
The Honorable Bob McEwen

Pennsylvania
The Honorable Colin A. Hanna

South Carolina
The Honorable T. Kenneth Cribb, Jr.
Joe Dugan
Sheri Few
Richard G. Scurry

South Dakota
Robert K. Fischer

Tennessee
Jackie Archer
Lee Beaman
Dr. David Black
Dr. J. Lee Douglas, DDS
Kevin Kookogey
Judson Phillips

Texas
Cathie Adams
Ali Akbar
Darrell Cockerham
Tom DeLay
Kevin D. Freeman
Elizabeth Graham
Ellen Grigsby
Allen J. Hébert
Tim Lambert
Matt Mackowiak
Terri Miller
Malcolm S. Morris
Russell J. Ramsland, Jr.
Kelly Shackelford, Esq.
Michael Quinn Sullivan
Trey Trainor

Virginia
Gary Aldrich
Dan Backer
Diana L. Banister
Gary L. Bauer
The Honorable Morton Blackwell
Kenneth F. Boehm
Brent Bozell, III
Susan Carleson
Roger Clegg
Lou Cordia
Steve Fitschen
Mark Fitzgibbons
Martin Fox
Kristan Hawkins
Donna Rice Hughes
Jerry A. Johnson, Ph.D.
Patrick S. Korten
Raymond J. LaJeunesse, Jr.
Wiles K. Lee
Curt Levey
Michael C. Maibach
Christopher N. Malagisi
Richard Manning
The Honorable James C. Miller III
Penny Nance
Preston Noell III
William W. Pascoe, III
Alfred S. Regnery
Sandy Rios
Ron Robinson
Austin Ruse
Joel Anand Samy
Douglas R. Scott, Jr.
Tommy Sears
Carrie Severino
Michael Smith, Esq.
Natasha Srdoc
Richard A. Viguerie
William L. Walton

Washington
The Honorable Bruce Chapman
Chuck Cushman
Alan Gottlieb
Virginia Schloredt

West Virginia
Allen Whitt

All organizations listed for identification purposes only.

The Conservative Action Project, founded by former Attorney General Edwin Meese and chaired by The Honorable Becky Norton Dunlop, is designed to facilitate conservative leaders working together on behalf of common goals. Participants include the CEO’s of over 100 organizations representing all major elements of the conservative movement: economic, social and national security.