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Dear John,
Where do you see yourself in 2060? What about your kids or grandkids? Will Donald Trump be affecting your life even then? Here’s why he might be.
This November, the future of the Supreme Court is on the ballot.
Trump appointed three justices in his first term -- more than any president since Ronald Reagan. And thanks to them, Trump was able to get rid of Roe v. Wade, affirmative action, and gun safety laws -- even after he left office.
If Trump is reelected, 76-year-old Justice Clarence Thomas and 74-year-old Justice Samuel Alito could retire, giving Trump a chance to appoint a fourth and fifth justice. That’s five out of nine justices. Trump would be the first president in more than a half-century to appoint a majority of the Supreme Court.
And not just a “conservative” majority -- but a MAGA majority that would work in lockstep with an authoritarian president, to whom they have already granted absolute immunity for official actions.
If you have friends who are still sitting on the fence, unsure who they will vote for or whether they’ll vote at all, this terrifying prospect ought to be enough to move them to see the importance of their vote. Please share this video with everyone who you know needs to see it!
Several other justices are also getting up there. Chief Justice John Roberts will turn 70 in 2025, and Justice Sonia Sotomayor will be 71. So it’s possible that Trump could even appoint a sixth (or even a seventh) justice.
If Trump sticks with appointing justices in their 40s, as he did with Neil Gorsuch and Amy Coney Barrett, his justices could dominate the court past the year 2060 -- or longer if he appoints even younger justices.
In the court’s latest term, the extremists now dominating the bench made it harder to combat racial gerrymandering. They limited the power of federal agencies to implement health, safety, and environmental regulations. They ruled that homeless people can be punished for being homeless, and they gave the greenlight for state and local politicians to accept bribes for past actions.
All of this because one man, Donald Trump, was elected in 2016. If he’s reelected in 2024, just imagine the damage a MAGA supermajority Supreme Court could unleash.
Wherever you imagine yourself and your family forty years from now, you will still be feeling the effects of this year’s election.
So much of the future comes down to your vote in the next month. Everyone needs to understand how high the stakes are in this election. Please watch this video and pass it along to your friends.
Thank you for getting the word out to the people who need to hear it!
Robert Reich
Inequality Media Civic Action
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