Hi —

 

I have bad news. A bill that would gerrymander our state courts is likely up for a final vote in the state House THIS Monday.

 

This scheme is a solution to a problem that does not exist. Judges should serve as a check on other branches of government, but this plan would make them beholden to the political interests of the legislature. Statewide courts make statewide decisions that impact every resident of the Commonwealth. They should serve all residents, not political or regional constituencies. 

 

If we’re going to have any chance at stopping this egregious attempt to undercut the power of Pennsylvania voters to select and hold our judges accountable, we need members like you to show up in full force.

 

Send a message right now urging your lawmaker to vote NO on HB 38 >> 

 

Thanks for being a part of this fight.

 

Molly Parzen

Interim Executive Director

Conservation Voters of PA

TAKE ACTION TO PROTECT OUR COURTS

 

Harrisburg politicians are advancing a heinous bill that would take away voters’ power over our courts, eviscerate judicial independence, and disenfranchise Pennsylvania voters.

 

Water and air pollution don't stop at political boundaries, and the courts that rule on our environmental laws shouldn't be limited by arbitrary political boundaries either. We need to protect every voters’ right to choose the judges that will have the best ability to interpret the law fairly for all of us.

 

Urge your lawmakers to oppose any plan to politically gerrymander our state courts.

Friend, I can’t believe they’re at it again.

The Pennsylvania House is back in session today, and one of the bills they are moving would gerrymander Pennsylvania’s courts, making them the most politically tainted and chaotic in the nation.

 

If HB 38 goes through, it would rob Pennsylvania voters of their ability to elect and provide a check on judges who sit on statewide courts and massively disempower Black and Brown voters who already face disproportionate injustices in the legal system.

 

Water and air pollution don’t stop at a political boundary, and the courts that rule on our environmental laws and hold polluters accountable shouldn't be limited by some arbitrary political boundary either. Injecting this kind of partisanship into our justice system provides a backdoor for special interests to influence court decisions in ways that reduce the protections we count on. This scheme is a solution to a problem that does not exist.

The legislature will vote to advance this bill as early as today. Here’s what’s particularly terrible about the way our opponents are pushing this through – because they are going through a Constitutional amendment process, this bill can’t be vetoed by the governor. So we either stop this bill now or at the ballot box.

Send a message urging your lawmakers to oppose HB 38, which would politically gerrymander our state courts >> 

Our judges are a critical line of defense against abuses by each branch of government and exist to protect the rights of the people - regardless of political affiliation. The proposal to create politician-drawn districts is not designed to increase accountability, but to create a partisan advantage through gerrymandering and allow the legislative majority to bend the judiciary to their will.

This is particularly urgent — constitutional amendments need to pass the full legislature twice, and this bill is now poised to pass for a SECOND time. It needs to end here. The independence of our courts and our democracy is at stake.

Former judges from both parties oppose HB 38, and not one Pennsylvania legal group supports it. The narrow vote margin with which the bill passed the judiciary committee last year and the long delay in sending it to the floor of the House show us how much our emails, calls, and tweets make a difference. We need to increase the pressure and ensure every legislator hears that their constituents want them to vote NO on this attempt to gerrymander our courts.

Tell your lawmakers to protect our democracy and the independence of our state courts by voting NO on HB 38 >> 

Thank you for doing your part to stop this disastrous plan to stack our courts.

Katie Blume

Political Director

Conservation Voters of PA

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Conservation Voters of PA
P.O. Box 2125
Philadelphia, PA 19103
United States