As Mormon men, we sign our names to petition Senators Flake, Crapo, Lee, Hatch, Heller, and Udall, who share our faith as fellow members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, to remember our shared scriptural injunctive that, “... when the wicked rule the people mourn. Wherefore, honest men and wise men should be sought for diligently, and good men and wise men ye should observe to uphold; otherwise whatsoever is less than these cometh of evil...” (D&C 98:9-10).

In accordance with this scripture, we urge you to vote against the confirmation of Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the United States Supreme Court. This petition is a nonpartisan plea - neither liberal nor conservative.

On Thursday, September 27, 2018, we watched the testimonies of both Dr. Ford and Judge Kavanaugh. We saw Dr. Ford speak with thoughtfulness, clarity, and conviction as she described the trauma that she endured at the hands of Judge Kavanaugh. She was credible. We believe her.

By contrast, we saw in Judge Kavanaugh’s behavior hostility, belligerence, and animus. We saw a man who already holds a great deal of power and influence display an alarming lack of candor, decorum, impartiality, composure, humility, and judiciousness - basic qualifications for a judge. His personal indignation notwithstanding, we witnessed an disturbing display of unbridled rage and instability that is wholly unbecoming of such a position of public trust. We cannot excuse his behavior or his treatment of others - particularly women - simply because he believes he is wrongly accused. A man of his echelon seeking to be entrusted with a nonpartisan position as a neutral arbiter, cannot behave like that and be rewarded by government or society.

Further, we do not see his conduct in keeping with the American Bar Association's Model Code of Judicial Conduct Rule 1.2: Promoting Confidence in the Judiciary, "A judge shall act at all times in a manner that promotes public confidence in the independence, integrity, and impartiality of the judiciary, and shall avoid impropriety and the appearance of impropriety."

We recognize in the Mormon Women for Ethical Government's statement (submitted into senate record by Senator Cory Booker) clear moral leadership and wisdom. Our sisters reminded us that, “our mutual faith teaches that any sexual abuse or assault in any context is contemptible and worthy of the most severe condemnation” and “sexual assault must not be normalized or condoned in any way or by anyone, especially those charged with political leadership.”

As Mormon men, we believe that our own relative privilege in society and in our church compel us to raise our voices in solidarity with those who are on the margins of power - as Christ did. We petition you to use the power of your elected office to likewise stand in solidarity with the marginalized. We ask you to protect the legitimacy of the Supreme Court of the United States and reserve the open seat on the court for a person of higher integrity, judgement, and character.

This petition and cosigning names will be published and formally submitted to the aforementioned six senators on Thursday, October 4, 2018.

To view the list of cosigners --> goo.gl/vZbr1s