Josh Hawley: Trump Must Nominate a Pro-Life Justice Who Understands Roe v. Wade ‘Was Wrongly Decided’

Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) said on Tuesday at the Values Voter Summit that he is looking forward to President Donald Trump nominating a pro-life justice to the Supreme Court who believes that the Roe v. Wade decision to make abortion on demand the law of the land was wrongly decided and an act of “judicial imperialism.”

Hawley made the remarks in an interview with Tony Perkins, president of the hosting Family Research Council.

“This is a turning point moment,” Hawley said. “We have an opportunity here as conservatives — those of us who believe in the right to life, those of us who believe in religious liberty — this is a moment when we’ll be able to shape the future of this court for decades to come.”

Hawley said recent decisions made by the high court are proof that there is not a conservative majority.

“We do not have a working, pro-constitution majority — we do not have a working pro-family, pro-life majority on the United States Supreme Court,” Hawley said.

Perkins pointed out that over the more than four decades since the Roe v. Wade decision, no ground has been gained in the fight to make protection of the unborn the law of the land.

“The Republican Party has not done a good job of actually living up to its pledges to our voters to put pro-constitutional, pro-life, pro-family justices on the bench,” Hawley said. “It’s time that the pledge ends and the actual work and the results begin.”

Hawley then spelled out what a nominee needs to embrace in order to get his vote, as he said earlier on the record from the Senate floor.

“To get my vote in the United States Senate this Supreme Court nominee has to be someone who understands that Roe v. Wade was wrongly decided,” Hawley said. “That Roe v. Wade is an act of judicial imperialism and they have to understand why that is absolutely central to your judicial philosophy.”

“If you think Roe is okay — if you think there is not a problem with Roe, not only are you wrong on the moral issue, it also tells me you don’t understand a judge’s role in our constitutional structure,” Hawley said.

“That’s why I drew that line in the sand, and I’m looking forward to the president nominating a pro-life justice,” Hawley said.

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