Former congresswoman Gabby Giffords’ gun group is suing the Trump administration for failing to turn over documents it says would show the extent of the administration’s coordination with the National Rifle Association in President Trump’s picking federal judge appointees.
The Giffords Law Center for Prevent Gun Violence filed a lawsuit this week in the U.S. District Court of the Northern District of California against the Justice Department after the agency did not respond to multiple Freedom of Information Act requests.
The group originally filed FOIA requests for communications between the NRA and other gun lobbying groups and senior Trump administration officials and Justice Department officials related to the president’s selection of judicial picks for over 100 federal court vacancies.
Giffords’ group also asked for records related to the potential coordination between the NRA and administration officials regarding Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch’s selection process.
In November, the gun control group filed a lawsuit against the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives in the the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia for also failing to respond to multiple FOIA requests.
In the latest lawsuit, Giffords’ lawyers call the information “critical to ensuring full and fair deliberation of the qualifications of the president’s nominees.”
“It is especially important in light of the speed with which the Senate is proceeding with the confirmation process and concerns that have arisen regarding some nominees’ failure to disclose all relevant information to Senate decision makers,” the lawsuit states, noting the administration has failed to produce any records in response, and indicated it will be “many months” before it will even conduct a complete search.
Earlier this month, the Trump administration said it would be not be moving forward with two nominees to the federal bench after much controversy.
One was Brett Talley, who had not tried a court case, and failed to disclose that his wife works in the White House counsel’s office. The other was Jeff Mateer, nominated to a district court post in Texas, had made controversial statements about transgender children, calling them part of “Satan’s plan.”
The Senate has confirmed an unprecedented amount of lifetime circuit court judges.
As of Dec. 15, Trump’s number of nominees approved to the circuit courts — 12 — was more than any other president has confirmed in their first year of office. Trump’s Supreme Court pick, Neil Gorsuch, was also confirmed this year, as were six of his district court nominees.
“The Trump Administration has been naming judges with lifetime tenure to the federal bench at breakneck speed, and these judges will influence American law and society for the next generation. Many of these judges have alarming backgrounds and views, and it is extremely troubling that the Washington gun lobby is leveraging its financial support of President Trump and political clout to pressure the administration to appoint judges that share its radical gun agenda and absolutist view of the Second Amendment,” said Robyn Thomas, executive director of the Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence.
The Justice Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
