AFJ Action Campaign

Past Campaign: Stop Readler

About Chad Readler

President Donald Trump has nominated Chad Readler for a seat on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. While at the Justice Department, Readler has been on the front lines of the Trump Administration’s war on affordable health care, and has fought against rights for workers, women, LGBTQ communities, immigrants, and more.

Key Points

Readler filed a brief to strike down key provisions of the Affordable Care Act. As a Justice Department official, Readler led the anti-ACA effort on behalf of the Trump Administration, arguing in a legal brief that the Affordable Care Act’s protections for people with preexisting conditions were unconstitutional. Taking away those protections could hurt more than 50 million Americans, including people with diabetes, pregnant women, cancer survivors, and many older Americans.

Readler opposes workers’ rights. In an article headlined “Local Government Anti-Discrimination Laws: Do They Make a Difference?” Readler wrote in opposition to laws prohibiting workplace discrimination. At the Justice Department, he helped to make millions of American workers ineligible for overtime pay, refusing to defend an Obama-era overtime rule.

Readler is a foe of public education. Readler is a staunch advocate for private schools and charter schools and fought against accountability for failing and corrupt charter schools. He pushed to eliminate a provision of the Ohio Constitution that provides for the right to a public education for Ohio students. He also supported efforts by Education Secretary Betsy DeVos to make it harder for students to get debt relief when they are victims of deceptive and illegal practices by for-profit colleges.

Readler has fought reproductive rights. Readler argued for the Justice Department against the right of a young immigrant woman in government custody to obtain abortion care. He also argued on behalf of fake women’s health centers.

Readler has fought LGBTQ rights. As a Justice Department official, Readler has advanced the anti-LGBTQ agenda of the Trump Administration including the transgender military ban. He also wrote a brief in favor of discrimination against an LGBTQ couple in the Masterpiece Cakeshop case.

Readler favors the death penalty for minors. In an article headlined “Make Death Penalty for Youth Available Widely,” Readler wrote in favor of execution as a penalty for 16- and 17-year-old children.

Readler advocated for harsh policies affecting immigrants. He defended the Trump Administration’s policy of separating immigrant children from their parents at the border, and Trump’s discriminatory Muslim Ban. Arguing against providing sleeping mats for detained immigrants, he claimed that providing the mats would reduce the number of people who could be crowded into a detention room.

Check out our sister organization’s report on Readler here.