Dear John,
It’s been an eventful and tumultuous week—to say the least.
It began on Monday with the final decisions issued by the Supreme Court, including its dangerous ruling on presidential immunity. Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote a scathing dissent, which we unpack for you in the article below. "The relationship between the President and the people he serves has shifted irrevocably … In every use of official power, the President is now a king above the law,” she writes. "With fear for our democracy, I dissent.”
Another of the Court’s decisions this term poses great danger for women’s lives. The Court failed to answer a straightforward question: Does the federal law that requires hospitals to perform emergency abortions for women facing potentially life-threatening pregnancy complications, supercede state abortion bans? Instead, in a callous and nakedly political decision in advance of the presidential election, the Court dismissed the case, endangering millions of women living under draconian abortion bans in some 13 states. While other news sources quickly moved on to their next headlines, Ms. is keeping reporting on the deadly impacts of the Court’s decision. Expect more soon.
In our annual Supreme Court Review, co-sponsored by Ms. and Georgetown Law this past week, we heard expert analysis of all the Court’s most consequential decisions. I hope you’ll take the time to read through our recap below, or watch the Review in its entirety on CSPAN.
In these dangerous times, the team at Ms. promises to deliver you the information you need to stay informed and fight back. On that note, I’ve included in this week’s articles an open letter by Dan Gillmor, a retired professor of journalism, reminding journalists of their responsibilities at this moment of peril when the U.S. is confronting rising authoritarianism. It’s a longer read, but well worth it. In it, he reminds journalists that: “It’s your opportunity, maybe your final one, to stand proudly for reality and democracy, for freedom of expression, for human rights… To reject the journalistic formulas that have made you not just ineffective, but downright helpless. This is your chance to help America back from the brink, back to a path toward a more perfect union.”
On that note, onward!
