New York State Attorney General Barbara Underwood said the U.S. Senate should reject President Donald Trump's nominee for the Supreme Court and demand a “fair and independent nominee.” Trump's pick, Judge Brett Kavanaugh, could reverse “decades of protections” for marginalized groups in the U.S., Underwood said. “It appears that President Trump's nominee has been chosen for his potential to move us backwards, upending decades of protections for women, racial minorities, LGBTQ Americans, workers, and other marginalized groups, and the fundamental principle of equal justice under the law,” Underwood said in a statement. “For the sake of the country, I urge the Senate to insist on a fair and independent nominee,” Underwood continued. Underwood also remarked about her own service in the federal judiciary before coming to New York State. She was the acting U.S. solicitor general at the end of President Bill Clinton's administration. She also clerked for U.S. Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall. “The Supreme Court has the potential to move us toward a more just and equitable society — and it's been an honor to be a part of that effort at various points in my career,” Underwood said. Kavanaugh will do the opposite, she said, but that will not undercut her office's barrage of legal actions directed at the Trump administration. The nomination process could be lengthy because Kavanaugh has a long paper trail of opinions for senators to review. “We must—and my office will—continue fighting for justice in the courts, while taking action here in New York to protect our values and rights that are under assault,” Underwood said. She did not elaborate on which values and rights she was talking about, but there's been a renewed effort by Gov. Andrew Cuomo this week to pass a bill that would essentially codify Roe v. Wade into state law. That way, if a future Supreme Court decision removes federal abortion protections, the state would have laws on the books to replace them.