Indivisibles,

In what feels like déjà vu from just a year ago, the MAGA majority of the Supreme Court (SCOTUS) is preparing to hand down 10 decisions by the end of this week which may have drastic effects on our lives. We are currently focusing on four of them which cover:

• Student debt relief
• Religious objections to LGBTQ+ anti-discrimination laws
• Affirmative action
• And the independent state legislature theory.

To say that negative outcomes in these cases could have catastrophic consequences on the future of our country would be an understatement. Unfortunately, less than a week after the anniversary of the Dobbs decision, we know that we cannot always expect the extremist Supreme Court to come down in favor of the American people. 

A ruling against affirmative action could severely undermine efforts to achieve equity in education by banning the use of race conscious admissions in higher education. An adverse ruling would set back efforts to shrink the education gap between white and non-white Americans and force universities to return to “race-neutral” admissions systems that have been proven to be insufficient in improving diversity on campus. If the Supreme Court rules the way we expect them to, they’ll be reverting college campuses to a time when opportunities for students of color were nearly non-existent.

If Biden’s student debt relief is overturned, borrowers will be hit with a double whammy of loan repayments restarting this fall with no relief applied to the underlying debt. This would be devastating timing for borrowers, especially as we’re still climbing out of a recession. 

The LGBTQ+ community could see another wave of discrimination head their way if vendors are able to refuse them service based on “religious” objections to laws that are meant to protect us. 

And finally, the court could adopt what’s known as the “independent state legislature” theory, a fringe legal theory that would grant broad authority to state legislatures to control the outcome of elections, rather than the will of the people. 

If this all sounds deeply upsetting, it should. Any one of these cases on their own would be a step back for our country, but combined they represent a horrific attack on our civil liberties and our democracy, and we are not holding our breath that this MAGA court will do the right thing. 

SCOTUS has a decision day scheduled for tomorrow, June 27, but will almost certainly add more before the week is through and the session comes to a close. Along with partners including the League of Conservation Voters, Demand Justice, Stand Up America, Take Back the Court, People’s Parity Project, and more, we will be holding a Twitter space on Friday, June 30 at 1pm ET/10am PT to talk about the potential impacts of these critical rulings (and of course, the ongoing corruption of the justices themselves).

Join us to catch up on the state of play following this week’s decisions and talk about next steps. 

With that, here are your weekly to-dos:

 Your 3 weekly to-dos 

1. Contact your senator and demand they cosponsor the Judiciary Act of 2023. SCOTUS is stacked with justices handpicked by MAGA Republicans and dark money groups, and it is running out of control. This court has too much power to be ignored, and if we want our government and its policies to reflect the will of our beautifully diverse country, we must restore SCOTUS to a place of legitimacy. Senators Markey and Smith have reintroduced the Judiciary Act of 2023 to add four justices to the bench and undo decades of conservative court-packing. Call your senator and make sure they are signed on today. 
2. When you’re done calling your senator, call your representative and demand they cosponsor the Judiciary Act of 2023. The MAGA-packed court has already gutted the Voting Rights Act, attacked workers’ rights, chipped away at environmental protections, struck down gun safety laws, and perhaps worst of all, overturned Roe v. Wade. This week, we are preparing for them to strip away more rights from the people while we look on in horror. We must do everything that we can to unrig the Republican court. Check here to see if your representative has signed on as a cosponsor; if not, call them today!
3. If you have a Republican representative (or are represented by Henry Cuellar), demand they protect abortion rights. House Democrats have introduced a discharge petition to get around Kevin McCarthy and force a vote on the Women’s Health Protection Act which would restore abortion protections nationwide. The majority of Americans support access to safe abortions and that number continues to rise. Every Democrat except for Cuellar has signed on the discharge petition, we need just seven more signatures to force the vote. Call your Republican representative today. 

P.S. If you've completed your weekly to-do's and are looking for more ways to support this movement, consider making a donation today. Your contribution will help keep our call pages up and running, fund the tools we use to mobilize volunteers, and continue all the work we're doing this year.

Republicans have doubled-down on their disgusting attacks on the LGBTQ+ community this year.

Through things like book bans, drag bans, and attacks on gender affirming care, Republicans are stoking the fires of prejudice and hate against the LGBTQ+ community to consolidate their base, win elections, and pass even more draconian policies. 

Democrats are fighting back all across the country, but none more so than our LGBTQ+ legislators who are facing these hateful attacks beyond the realm of policy as Republicans attack their very existence. Whether it’s Megan Hunt in Nebraska, Zooey Zephyr in Montana, Tammy Baldwin in Wisconsin, or Ian Mackey in Missouri, LGBTQ+ legislators are being made to step up and fight for equal rights for themselves, their friends, their families, and their children. 

Let’s show them some love!

We want to take a little time this Pride month to ensure that Indivisibles across the country are being vocal in support of their incredible LGBTQ+ legislators and leaders -- because we support their heroic efforts, yes! But we also support their individual rights to exist and thrive without the sort of hateful policies being pursued by the MAGA right. 

Here’s what you can do:

1. Find out if you have any out LGBTQ+ legislators currently serving here. If you want to highlight an LGBTQ+ leader who is not a legislator (a journalist, artist, activist, etc.) we’d love to compile those too, but we know that folks aren’t always sure if their legislator is part of the LGBTQ+ community and wanted to make sure you had a tool to find out!
2. Use this form to share your message of appreciation. We are hoping to compile as many messages as we can to show our LGBTQ+ leaders that Indivisibles will stand by their sides in the fight against these horrific attacks. Use this form to send us your message of appreciation so that we can put it in a fun graphic to share. Here’s what they will look like:

It’s more important than ever that we are vocal and visible in support of our LGBTQ+ leaders. As they are standing on the front lines, they need the support of seeing that there is a community of activists standing with them ready to fight.

This past weekend saw massive Pride parades across the country. In many of these places, politicians marched alongside bikers and drag queens in support of the LGBTQ+ community. Our LGBTQ+ leaders are at the forefront of the fight for equality, and that puts them at the forefront of the danger. We cannot take the burden they are carrying lightly. Take a moment of your day today to show your support for the fight and thank your local LGBTQ+ leaders. 

Rep. Mark Pocan, WI-02

After fighting for months to cut medical care for veterans while presenting themselves as the pro-military party, Republicans are now focusing their attention on banning Pride flags at the Department of Veterans Affairs facilities. Rep. Pocan reminds them that, “looking at a Pride flag will not make you gay,” while highlighting their ridiculous standards by pointing out that Bud Light, Chick-Fil-A, Nascar, the NFL, and MLB will all need to be banned too for celebrating Pride month. Check out Rep. Pocan’s incredible speech here.

President Joe Biden

If you remember back to last November, we were on the precipice of a railway strike across the country when President Biden stepped in and called on Congress to institute an emergency agreement. That agreement fell short of offering the rail workers any sick days -- a key part of their negotiating package. In the time since, President Biden and his administration have continued to work behind the scenes to ensure rail workers have paid sick days and this spring they have achieved that goal. Read this message from the IBEW for updates.

 National Events 

RSVP for our Truth Brigade: Summer Plans webinar this Wednesday, June 28 at 6:30pm ET/3:30pm PT. We have big plans for this summer -- hope you do too! Summer’s a time to relax, reset -- and celebrate! Join us as we outline our expectations for the summer disinformation landscape, launch your new "Summer of Progress Toolkit," and preview our Truth Sandwich messages for July and August.

 IndivisiWin of the Week 

Indivisible Shawnee in southern Illinois with a table set up at Southern Illinois Pride fest!

Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to keep up on the latest information, and text “INDIVISIBLE” to 59798 to opt-in to our text messaging program where we send rapid response actions a few times a month.

The remaining SCOTUS decisions could begin coming down as early as tomorrow and we cannot do anything to stop them. Let’s make sure we’re never in this position again, call your Rep and let’s make sure we unrig this court before the country reaches a point of no return. Now is the time to act.

In solidarity,
Indivisible Team