Leonard Steven AFJ NOMINEE REPORT AFJ Grasz U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit WWW.AFJ.ORG CONTENTS Introduction, 1 Biography, 2 Legal and other views, 3 Reproductive Rights, 3 Rights of Fetuses, 4 Nebraska Family Alliance, 5 Litigation, 5 LGBTQ Equality, 6 Death Penalty, 8 Church and State, 9 Money and Politics, 9 Conclusion, 10 WWW.AFJ.ORG PAGE 1 vigorously against women’s reproductive rights. He defended Nebraska’s unconstitutional statute in Stenberg v. INTRODUCTION 8 Carhart, and sought to deny Medicaid coverage, as required by federal law, to On August 3, 2017, President Trump nominated a woman who sought to terminate her Leonard Steven “Steve” Grasz, a former Chief pregnancy because she had been raped.9 Deputy Attorney General of Nebraska, to serve as a federal judge on the Court of Appeals for Grasz has argued with equal enthusiasm the Eighth Circuit. Grasz is the President’s third against LGBTQ equality. In 2013, he nominee to that court, along with David Stras 1 proposed an Amendment to the Omaha and Ralph Erickson. Grasz is nominated to fill City Charter that would have allowed the seat of former Chief Judge William J. Riley, employers to discriminate against LGBTQ who took senior status on June 30, 2017. people in hiring.10 While Grasz was on the board, the Family Alliance opposed Grasz’s record is deeply concerning, particularly legislation to “[p]rohibit discrimination his opposition to the rights of women and the based upon sexual orientation and gender LGBTQ community. Alliance for Justice strongly identity” in the workplace by arguing that opposes Grasz’s nomination. the terms “sexual orientation” and “gender identity” describe “behaviors,” rather than Grasz’s nomination is in keeping with President “traits” like race.11 Trump’s promise to name candidates to the federal judiciary who are hostile to Roe v. 2 Among the most disturbing content in Wade. Notably, Grasz has compared the the Family Alliance’s written materials are “personhood” of fetuses to the civil rights of 3 articles supporting the cruel practice of Native and African Americans. Moreover, since conversion therapy.12 The Alliance has August 2015, Grasz has served on the Board of claimed that “[a] generation of children the Nebraska Family Alliance, and is currently 4 is being raised to believe in the social a director. The Family Alliance has celebrated construct of a gender spectrum, instead of the mass closings of clinics that offer women’s the biological reality of male and female. reproductive services,5 condemned Supreme 6 This is a trend that should be rejected Court decisions that protect women’s rights, at every level.”13 To that end, the Family and claimed that abortion rights “put[] women’s 7 Alliance also signed an amicus brief in lives at risk.” As an attorney, Grasz fought 8 Stenberg v. Carhart, 530 U.S. 914, 945–46 (2001). 1 David Stras, Alliance for Justice (May 12, 2017), https://www.afj.org/wp-content/up- 9 See Little Rock Family Planning Servs., P.A. v. Dalton, 60 F.3d 497 (8th Cir. 1995); loads/2017/08/AFJ-Report-David-Stras.pdf; Ralph Erickson, Alliance for Justice (July 24, 2017), see also Paul Hammel, Accusation Called ‘Unfounded’, Omaha World-Herald (Oct. 1, https://www.afj.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/AFJ-Erickson-Report.pdf. 1994). 2 See e.g., Dan Mangan, Trump: I’ll appoint Supreme Court justices to overturn Roe v. Wade 10 See Proposed Amendment to Omaha Charter Section 8, 8.02A: Religious Freedom abortion case, CNBC (Oct. 16, 2016), http://www.cnbc.com/2016/10/19/trump-ill-appoint-supreme- and Rights of Conscience (2013); see also City of Omaha Charter Study Review Con- court-justices-to-overturn-roe-v-wade-abortion-case.html. vention, Testimony, 147–48 (Dec. 3, 2013). 3 See Steven Grasz, If Standing Bear Could Talk. Why There is No Constitutional Right to Kill 11 See Jake Bliss, Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity, and Race: Are They Three of a Partially-Born Human Being, 33 Creighton L. Rev. 23, 28–29 (1999). a Kind?, Nebraska Family Alliance (April 7, 2017), https://nebraskafamilyalliance.org/ 4 Sen. Comm. On the Judiciary, 115th Cong., Leonard Steven Grasz: Questionnaire for Judicial sexual-orientation-gender-identity-race-three-kind/. Nominees, Financial Disclosure Report. 12 See Paul Weber, How Jayson Found Help for Unwanted Same-Sex Attraction, Ne- 5 Cheryl Sullenger, Pro-Life Victory: A Record 87 Abortion Clinics Closed in 2013, Nebraska braska Family Alliance (Aug. 4, 2017), https://nebraskafamilyalliance.org/jayson-coun- Family Alliance (Dec. 23, 2013), https://nebraskafamilyalliance.org/pro-life-victory-a-record-87- seling-same-sex-attraction/; see also Nate Grasz, Legislation Criminalizing Conversion abortion-clinics-closed-in-2013/. Therapy Sweeping the Nation, Nebraska Family Alliance (July 21, 2017), https:// 6 Al Risowski, What the Supreme Court’s Ruling on Texas HB2 Means for Nebraska, Nebras- nebraskafamilyalliance.org/legislation-criminalizing-conversion-therapy-sweeping-na- ka Family Alliance (June 27, 2016), https://nebraskafamilyalliance.org/what-the-supreme-courts- tion/. ruling-about-texas-hb2-means-for-nebraska/. 13 See School Defends Controversial “Transition Ceremony” in Kindergarten Class- 7 See Abortion Harms Women, Nebraska Family Alliance, https://nebraskafamilyalliance. room, Nebraska Family Alliance (August 29, 2017), https://nebraskafamilyalliance.org/ org/policy/life/abortion-harms-women/ (last visited Sept. 17, 2017). school-defends-controversial-transition-ceremony-kindergarten-classroom/. WWW.AFJ.ORG PAGE 2 Obergefell v. Hodges arguing that only the interest groups in the judicial selection parenting of “a mother and a father[,]” rather process: than a same-sex couple, “provides children with the optimal environment for their cognitive, Observers state that there are social, and emotional development from infancy a number of interest groups through adolescence.”14 with potentially disproportionate influence including the ACLU, On another front, Grasz has vigorously Planned Parenthood, the Nebraska advocated for the implementation of the death Association of Trial Attorneys, penalty in Nebraska, fighting to reinstate the Nebraska Defense Counsel the practice even after the state legislature Association, and the Nebraska State repealed capital punishment statutes.15 Bar Association itself. As with the political influence discussed above, Grasz has also displayed troubling views they say, the current system appears regarding separation of church and state, to foster disproportionate influence raising questions about whether he will properly from special interest groups on one enforce Supreme Court precedent on the issue. side of the political spectrum[.]17 Indeed, for someone who wants to be a Authoring a paper that opposes the federal judge, responsible for fairly applying involvement of special interest groups in Supreme Court precedent, it is worrying that judicial selection for the Federalist Society, Grasz has not only disagreed with Supreme a special interest group responsible Court jurisprudence but has questioned the for selecting lists of nominees for the Court’s legitimacy when it issues decisions President, is not only rank hypocrisy; he personally disagrees with. For example, it is highly telling.18 Grasz’s open in 2012, following National Federation of disparagement of the “disproportionate Independent Businesses v. Sebelius, Grasz influence” of groups that he perceives to claimed, “[t]he Roberts opinion has itself placed be on one side of the ideological spectrum the legitimacy of the court, as well as our raises questions about his ability to act as freedom as Americans, in great jeopardy.” He an impartial and unbiased jurist. said the Chief Justice (whom Grasz had publicly supported) “ushered in the ultimate transfer of Finally, it bears noting, Grasz’s nomination limitless power to the federal government.”16 continues President Trump’s disturbing trend of nominating overwhelmingly white, Moreover, Grasz, a member of the Federalist male nominees to the federal judiciary. Society Nebraska Lawyers Chapter Steering Following the retirement of Judge Diana Committee, in an article for the Federalist Murphy, who Trump nominated David Stras Society, lamented the influence of special to replace, Judge Jane Kelly remains the 14 Brief for Amicus Curiae Organizations and Scholars of Gender-Diverse Parenting in Support lone woman on the Eighth Circuit (she and of Respondents, Obergefell v. Hodges, 2015 U.S. S. Ct. Briefs LEXIS 1320 at *12–13 (Apr. 2, 2015), https://nebraskafamilyalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Citizen-Link-Amicus-Brief.pdf. 17 L. Steven Grasz, Judicial Selection in Nebraska, The Federalist Society White 15 See Sen. Comm. On the Judiciary, 115th Cong., Leonard Steven Grasz: Questionnaire for Paper (May 8, 2012), https://www.fed-soc.org/publications/detail/judicial-selection-in-ne- Judicial Nominees, 47¬¬–48; see also Nebraskans for the Death Penalty, http://www.votere- braska. peal.com/. 18 See Melissa Maleske, Trump Says Federalist Society Will Pick His Judges For Him, 16 See Steve Grasz, Roberts jeopardized legitimacy of high court, Lincoln Journal Star (July Law 360 (June 14, 2016), https://www.law360.com/articles/806797/trump-says-federal- 10, 2012). ist-society-will-pick-his-judges-for-him. WWW.AFJ.ORG PAGE 3 Murphy were the only two female judges ever before the Supreme Court in Stenberg in the history of the Eighth Circuit). Last year, v. Carhart.21 Grasz also authored briefs Senate Republicans refused to consider the in multiple other Supreme Court, federal nomination of Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Court of Appeals, and State Supreme Puhl for the Eighth Circuit, despite bipartisan Court cases, and “researched and wrote support from her home-state senators and more than 80 published Attorney General the unanimous approval of the Judiciary Opinions as well as many unpublished Committee. Of the three vacancies on the Eight confidential opinions.”22 Circuit, President Trump has nominated white men to fill them all. In May 2002, Grasz left the Nebraska Attorney General’s Office and joined Husch Blackwell LLP in Omaha, where he has been Senior Counsel since 2013.