A few weeks ago, Lambda Legal prepared a list of 30 questions for senators to ask John Roberts at his confirmation hearings. We hand-delivered the questions to senators on the Judiciary Committee — and the substance of many of them made it into the hearings.

Unfortunately, Roberts refused to answer many of Lambda Legal’s questions, so we had no choice but to oppose him.

We are proud that so many Lambda Legal members and other supporters of fairness wrote to their Senators demanding that these 30 questions be asked. In fact many of them were — and as a result the civil rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people were an important focus of a Supreme Court confirmation hearing for the first time ever. While we did not get the answers we needed from Roberts, the message from our community — that we are an important part of the fabric of this country — was both heard and embraced.

Lambda Legal is particularly grateful to the members of the Senate Judiciary Committee who took a stand on behalf of LGBT people and those with HIV by questioning Roberts on the substance of Lambda Legal’s 30 questions — and ultimately voting against him. Please join us in sending a thank-you email to the following senators who made our rights an important part of the confirmation process:

Joseph R. Biden

Richard Durbin

Dianne Feinstein

Edward M. Kennedy

Charles E. Schumer