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 (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.

DATE: June 27, 2024 | 12:00 – 1:30 PM ET | Register     

Our Common Purpose Co-Chair, Eric Liu was among those honored for groundbreaking work to strengthen democracy at FairVote’s 2024 Awards ceremony in New York City, where he spoke about combining civic engagement and structural reform. 

Civic Season, the flagship program of Made By Us, 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.

OCP Champion Protect Democracy 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. 

The New York Times spoke with 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. 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.” 

The Wall Street Journal profiled efforts by OCP Champion BridgeUSA to build “constructive outlets for political discussion in a campus atmosphere dominated by extremes and activist fervor.” 

Utah Governor Spencer Cox and Maryland Governor Wes Moore spoke with GMA’s Robin Roberts about the National Governors’ Association’s Disagree Better Initiative, which aims to help Americans “disagree in a way that allows us to find solutions and solve problems instead of endlessly bickering.” 

FairVote Co-Founder Rob Richie explains 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.

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

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.  

A More Perfect Union: The Jewish Partnership for Democracy 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

Washington Post Contributing Opinion columnist and OCP Co-chair Danielle Allen will show you how to renovate democracy in this emailed course, delivered every Monday for 10 weeks.