Dear John, Did you know that ALEC and far-right groups are pushing to cement a nine-member U.S. Supreme Court into the U.S. Constitution? More importantly, do you know what can be done about it? Heavy-handed partisan maneuvering and millions in special interest spending have given us a stacked Court with a radical majority that is taking away our constitutional rights and overturning decades of legal precedents Americans rely on. Now, groups like the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) and the Convention of States — backed by Koch, big oil, and other billionaires — want to amend the Constitution to specify a nine-member Court and lock in their advantage permanently. What would that mean for our average Americans? Their billionaire backers’ goal is to “reverse 115 years of progressivism,” according to Mark Meckler, the Tea Party operative who helms Convention of States Action. In fact, the endgame is even more drastic: to radically rewrite the U.S. Constitution to create a new Confederacy of sorts with a weak central government and states whose extremism would be insulated from movements for progressive reforms. If they get their way, hundreds of civil rights, environmental protection, labor, and consumer protection laws would be nullified, a simple majority of states could veto any federal law they don’t like, and crucial safety net programs like Social Security and Medicare would be put on the chopping block. But the public rarely hears about this threat to our fundamental freedoms — so, if we have any hope of preventing a right-wing Constitutional Convention, the first step is raising the public alarm bells. And that’s exactly why the Center for Media and Democracy (CMD) is so important. CMD has dug behind the scenes to provide cutting-edge reporting and analysis on this threat, and they rely on people like you to keep their investigations going. | |
In September, I participated in a webinar on this battle over the Supreme Court that CMD cosponsored with Common Cause and the American Constitution Society. Alongside my fellow panelists — historian Nancy MacLean, constitutional lawyer David Super, and Court Accountability Executive Director Alex Aronson — we discussed the right-wing’s efforts to trigger a constitutional convention, how the current radical Court majority is remaking U.S. law and the balance of power, the implications of cementing a stacked Court into the Constitution, and the growing support for proposals to reform the Court through enforceable ethical rules as well as term limits or expansion. The webinar attracted more than 400 attendees, has been viewed by many many more, and prompted an outpouring of emails, with many asking thoughtful questions about what everyday citizens can do to protect the highest court in the land from more right-wing meddling. Reader support makes possible CMD’s breakthrough investigations into the billionaire-backed campaign to cement a nine-member Supreme Court into the U.S. Constitution, so please make a generous tax-deductible donation today to help! | |
As the President of CMD’s board and its past executive director, I know how hard the CMD team works to dig behind the scenes and keep up a drumbeat so that you have the information you need to fight back against the right-wing operatives trying to permanently reshape the Supreme Court. That’s why I am reaching out to you, now, to ask you to make a generous donation to support CMD’s independent, in-depth investigations! | |
Thanks to a generous $50,000 match, your year-end gift will have twice the impact! Donate Here! | |
We have so much to do to counter the threats to our democracy and our freedoms in 2025. Together we can and must secure a democracy and economy that works for all of us. With deepest gratitude for all you are doing to help make our world a better place, Lisa Graves
Board President
Center for Media and Democracy | |
