Women’s March organizers have announced plans to rally on Jan. 19, 2019, nearly two years to the day since coordinating an international demonstration held in the wake of President Trump’s inauguration.
Activists unveiled details for the third annual Women’s March on Friday after the Republican-controlled Senate Judiciary Committee voted to advance Mr. Trump’s latest Supreme Court[1] nominee, Brett Kavanaugh[2], in spite of recently emerged allegations of sexual assault.
“The Trump administration and Senate GOP have demonstrated nothing but contempt for Dr. Blasey Ford, Deborah Ramirez, Julia Swetnick and women and survivors everywhere. Watching rape culture play out on a national stage has retraumatized women and survivors nationwide. But in response, we’ve turned our pain into power,” said Linda Sarsour, co-chair of the Women’s March on Washington.
“Women came out on January 2017 in need of hope. We showed the world and ourselves that we are the leaders we’ve been waiting for. Now, we’re coming back with an agenda,” she said in a statement.
While committee members voted along party lines Friday to advance Mr. Trump’s pick to replace retired Justice Anthony Kennedy, a caveat from Sen. Jeff Flake, Arizona Republican, resulted in the president ordering the FBI to conduct a limited probe into the allegations, postponing confirmation proceedings for at least a week and potentially costing the nominee’s future on the high court[3], pending its results.
Ms. Ford publicly accused the judge earlier this month of sexually assaulting her decades earlier, and each testified Thursday on Capitol Hill. Judge Kavanaugh[4] has denied committing sexual assault.
Attorneys for Ms. Ramirez and Ms. Swetnick subsequently raised similar claims in the interim, and Mr. Trump has since ordered the FBI to investigate any credible allegations.
Regardless of the FBI probe’s outcome, Ms. Sarsour said women across the country will rally against the nominee when they gather in January.
“Brett Kavanaugh[5] was disqualified before Christine Blasey Ford came out with her allegations, and we still think he’s disqualified, and we’re going to do everything we can to keep him off the Supreme Court[6],” she told CNN on Saturday.
“We’re prepared, and we want this administration to know that women will not sit back, we will not go back and we will not allow our rights to be taken 40 years back – and this is what this lifetime appointment of
Brett Kavanaugh[7] does. This is serious. This is a generational fight, and the Republicans want the Supreme Court[8] and we’re saying absolutely not, not on our watch.”Over 6 million people participated in the first Women’s March in 2017, including rallies held in every state and in 60 countries abroad, according to organizers....