[1]Stand Up America Logo
A riddle for you: What’s old, powerful, and very conservative?
We’ll admit, it’s not the best riddle. We could be talking about Mitch McConnell or the NRA. But if you guessed the Supreme Court of the United States, you are correct!
This month the newsletter is all about the need to rebalance the Supreme Court, which has tilted further and further to the right over the last few decades—with really terrible repercussions for our country. Just take the ruling yesterday: Once again, the Supreme Court has taken a hatchet to our freedom to vote, continuing the job they started with Shelby County and effectively dismantling what was left of the Voting Rights Act.
Last Friday, we sat down with Tamara Brummer, the Senior Advisor for Engagement and Outreach at Demand Justice. Tamara and all the folks at Demand Justice are leading the fight to make the Supreme Court more just, democratic, and representative of our country as a whole.
We couldn’t fit the whole interview into our newsletter (there was too much good stuff). You can read the full version here. Let’s see what she had to say:
[link removed]
###
INTERVIEW WITH AN ADVOCATE
###
Let’s start with the basics. What does your organization Demand Justice do?
Demand Justice is an organization that was founded in response to the long history of conservatives taking control of our federal judiciary. Our work focuses on engaging with everyday people to reform our federal courts so that they actually represent the people, and not just the corporate, wealthy elite.
What is your role at Demand Justice?
I’m the Senior Advisor for National Outreach and Engagement. My responsibility is to talk to as many people as I can and build a coalition with partners across movements and issues. We want to build an understanding among progressives that court reform is an essential part of the fight for voting rights.
When you talk to people and groups about why we need to reform the Supreme Court, where do you start?
Donald Trump and Mitch McConnell, over four years, gave over 200 federal judges lifetime appointments. They stole Supreme Court seats from the American people and put Neil Gorsuch, Amy Coney Barrett, and Brett Kavanaugh on the bench. No matter the work that we do today to pass progressive legislation, we’re going to run up against this deeply conservative court. Do you think that a judge appointed by Donald Trump and Mitch McConnell will uphold progressive legislation, like a voting rights bill, if it’s challenged in court? Oh, no. We need to think about the fight to rebalance the Supreme Court as a key part of our strategy for powering our progressive movement, because it is.
How can we fight back?
The most immediate solution is adding four seats to the Supreme Court. We really need to elevate the push to add four seats. The Judiciary Act, which would add four justices, has been introduced in the House of Representatives and in the Senate. We need to be building support for this legislation among democrats in Congress, and we need more cosponsors.
I believe that we're going to win the progressive reforms we deserve. But we need to make sure that the courts uphold them, and they've rigged it to a point that we know we're not going to get a fair shot.
One last question: What gets you fired up about working on court reform?
I know we're right! I know we’re doing the right thing. It's the necessary thing to do.
You know what makes me hopeful? As a country, we've been here before y'all. I’m a cisgender Black woman. People who look like me, who came before me, fought for their rights too. We’re here to push our country forward.
So well said. Thanks for your time, Tamara!
###
BONUS SECTION
###
Want to get more involved in the fight to expand the Supreme Court after hearing from Tamara? Learn a bit more about our plan to fight for Court expansion and then make a call to your member of Congress and urge them to cosponsor the Judiciary Act, which would increase the size of the Supreme Court.
[link removed]
[link removed]
Thanks for reading!
Eloise and Sami
[ [link removed] ][IMG] [ [link removed] ][IMG]
Paid for by Stand Up America
Contributions to Stand up America are not deductible as charitable contributions for federal income
tax purposes.
Stand Up America
P.O. Box 218
New York, NY 10276
STAND UP AMERICA is registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
You can unsubscribe from this mailing list at any time:
[link removed]