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** Join us on June 27th for Supreme Court Term Limits: Rethinking Life Tenure on a Divided Court
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In recent years, the U.S. Supreme Court has become increasingly controversial, with Americans’ views of its legitimacy starkly divided along ideological lines. At the same time, Justices today live far longer – and thus serve far longer – than the Framers are likely to have imagined, raising the stakes of the confirmation process as new nominations to the Court become rarer and more consequential. To address these growing concerns, the Our Common Purpose ([link removed]) (OCP) report calls for instituting 18-year terms for Supreme Court Justices.
On June 27th in Washington D.C., the Academy will bring together a diverse, bipartisan group of experts, including Kimberly Atkins Stohr, Sarah Binder, Stephen McAllister and Judge Diane Wood, for a lively discussion of all sides of this proposed reform. Register for this luncheon event here ([link removed]) .
DATE: June 27, 2024 | 12:00 – 1:30 PM ET | Register ([link removed])
** Stories From The Field
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** Trust for Civic Life Launched.
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The Trust for Civic Life ([link removed]) announced its first round of grantmaking on June 17, bringing together funders across the ideological spectrum to tackle America’s crisis of polarization where it matters most: in the communities where Americans live, work, and experience day-to-day democracy. Inspired by the Our Common Purpose ([link removed]) report, the Trust’s initial grants ([link removed]) are to 20 civic ‘hubs’ across America, with a round of grantmaking to civic entrepreneurs to follow.
** OCP Co-Chair Honored at FairVote Awards.
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Our Common Purpose Co-Chair, Eric Liu was among those honored for groundbreaking work to strengthen democracy at FairVote ([link removed]) ’s 2024 Awards ceremony ([link removed]) in New York City, where he spoke about combining civic engagement and structural reform.
** Juneteenth to July 4th is Civic Season.
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Civic Season ([link removed]), the flagship program of Made By Us ([link removed]) , is a new tradition aimed at bringing people together to understand our past and shape our future. Build your Civic Season with over 2,000 activities for self-discovery and civic upskilling here ([link removed]).
** Protect Democracy Releases New Media Guides for Covering Political Violence.
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OCP Champion Protect Democracy ([link removed]) launched a new set of media guides on covering political violence which include core principles, key questions, examples of thoughtful coverage and links to additional resources. Find the guides here ([link removed]) .
** In The News
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** Is the Partisan Divide Too Big to be Bridged?
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The New York Times spoke with ([link removed]) Our Common Purpose Co-Chair Stephen Heintz as it examined efforts to bridge the partisan divide in America, especially the newly launched Trust for Civic Life ([link removed]) . Heintz noted that the problem of polarization “will not be solved overnight,” but he and others involved in the effort agree that “the effort is worth it.”
** Far from the Protests, Some Students Try to Meet in the Middle.
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The Wall Street Journal profiled ([link removed]) efforts by OCP Champion BridgeUSA ([link removed]) to build “constructive outlets for political discussion in a campus atmosphere dominated by extremes and activist fervor.”
Disagree Better Initiative Featured on Good Morning America.
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Utah Governor Spencer Cox and Maryland Governor Wes Moore spoke with ([link removed]) GMA’s Robin Roberts about the National Governors’ Association’s Disagree Better Initiative ([link removed]) , which aims to help Americans “disagree in a way that allows us to find solutions and solve problems instead of endlessly bickering.”
** Democracy Isn't Doomed: Let's Scale Experiments that are Working.
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FairVote Co-Founder Rob Richie explains ([link removed]) in the Washington Post that initiatives in places like Montgomery County, Maryland; Nashville, Tennessee; Portland, Oregon and New York City could help to chip away at voter cynicism and move America in the right direction.
** Get Involved
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** Join us for Building Demand for National Service: New Insights from Public Opinion Research.
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The Academy and California Volunteers will convene a half-day event to share findings from public opinion research on young Americans' views about participating in a year of national service. This session will highlight data-driven opportunities for state service commissions to build demand for a year of service among young Americans.
DATE: July 17, 2024 | 12:00 – 5:30 PM ET | Learn More & Register ([link removed])
** Make Sure Your Organization is Included in the Healthy Democracy Ecosystem Map.
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The National Civic League (The National Civic League is close to launching its Healthy Democracy Ecosystem Map and is looking for help making sure it is as complete as possible. Fill out this form to ensure that your organization is included.) is close to launching its Healthy Democracy Ecosystem Map ([link removed]) and is looking for help making sure it is as complete as possible. Fill out this form ([link removed]) to ensure that your organization is included.
** Join a Virtual Sermon on Talking About the Elections and Beyond During the High Holy Days.
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A More Perfect Union: The Jewish Partnership for Democracy ([link removed]) is organizing a sermon seminar entitled “Drashing Democracy: Talking About the Elections and Beyond During High Holy Days,” designed by a cross-denominational group of Jewish clergy-focused institutions invested in ensuring free, fair, safe, and accessible elections in 2024.
DATE: July 11, 2024 | 2:00 PM ET | Register ([link removed]"\l"/registration)
** Sign Up for the Democracy, Refreshed email course.
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Washington Post Contributing Opinion columnist and OCP Co-chair Danielle Allen will show you how to renovate democracy in this emailed course ([link removed]) , delivered every Monday for 10 weeks.
** Read the Report
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Learn more about the Academy's current efforts to advance reforms to reinvent American democracy and read the Our Common Purpose report here ([link removed]) .
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amacad.org ([link removed]) Our Common Purpose ([link removed]) Events ([link removed])
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