Sign up to give testimony: June 20Under the radar (but not everyone’s, see Steve Ahlquist here), the obscure powers and processes that recommend judges, lifetime appointments (only in RI, BTW), are recommending our local Brett Kavanaugh, Michael McCaffrey, to be Associate Judge of Rhode Island District Court, then in position to be next on the RI Supreme Court.
(Former) Senator McCaffery is openly hostile to bodily freedom in all its forms. He fought same-sex marriage in RI and successfully thwarted efforts to ensure abortion rights were not secure for years in RI. He waged war against marriage equality legislation, reproductive rights and abortion access for years. McCaffrey resigned the State Senate seat in preparation for joining his sister and brother-in-law as RI judges.
McCaffrey’s efforts to deprive Rhode Islanders of free exercise of their rights to bodily freedom were resoundingly rejected by us. Now McCaffrey seeks to impose their idiosyncratic beliefs on Rhode Islanders from the bench. Once they are on the bench, we will have little recourse.
Good news is that you can be a wrench in the oppression machine right now.
Judicial nominations often go without any protest. Not anymore. We need folks to comment on McCaffery’s abomination nomination at the public session on July 8th @ 4:00 P.M. (LOCATION: Department of Administration One Capitol Hill, Conference Room A, 2nd Floor Providence, Rhode Island 02908).
We can provide testimony templates. Please email us.
We also need people to send in comment via email.
Our goal is to have 25 in-person folk and 100 emailed comments opposing McCaffrey. THEN we need to send messages to Governor McKee to oppose the second step in his nomination, which is a sign-off by the Governor to this nomination, if his colleagues approve after public comment.
For July 8: To provide public comment, please email Laura Jeanne Verdecchia at [email protected] no later than Friday, June 20, 2025, with your name, title (if any), email address, telephone number, the vacancy(ies) you wish to comment on, and the candidate, if applicable. Similarly written testimony should be sent to BOTH the JNC Chair ([email protected]) and Laura Jeanne Verdecchia ([email protected]).
This is one of the most vital forms of protest you can make here in RI today.
Sample request to comment in person:
Ms. Verdeccia:
Greetings. I am NAME, TITLE. I am requesting the opportunity to provide public comment before the Rhode Island Judicial Nominating Commission on July 8, 2025 @ 4:00 P.M. I am commenting on the nomination of Michael J. McCaffrey for RI District Court. I can be reached at XXX-XXX-XXXX and email at XXXXX@XXXXX. Thank you for your assistance.
Regards.
NAME TITLE.
