John,

Every so often, a Supreme Court case becomes a household name.

Sometimes, it brightens up the history books, like Brown v. Board of Education. Sometimes, it gets burned into our brain cells for all the wrong reasons, like Citizens United v. FEC.

Well, it looks like the Court could have another landmark case on its hands — and it could do a whole world of hurt.

Today, they’re hearing oral arguments in West Virginia v. Environmental Protection Agency. If fossil fuel giants and right-wing extremists get their way, the Court could gut the EPA’s power to fight air pollution and eviscerate the federal government’s ability to fight climate change.

But that’s just the tip of the (rapidly melting) iceberg. If worse comes to worst, this case could shred some of the most basic protections we count on our government for. Like enforcing workplace safety rules. And ensuring workers get paid for overtime. And let’s face it: now that Republicans have hijacked the Supreme Court with a 6-3 supermajority, worse has been coming to worst a whole lot more often.

But we’re not just twiddling our thumbs and waiting for disaster to strike. We have power. Congress has the authority to rebalance the Supreme Court by adding more seats to it — they’ve already done it seven times before. And as a grassroots movement, we have the ability to demand that Congress take this badly needed step.

Take Back the Court is doing powerfully important work to fight for Supreme Court expansion so we can ensure equal justice under law. I’m grateful that you’re a part of this team — you’re making it happen. Let’s keep fighting side by side.

Will you add your name today to join me as a grassroots co-sponsor of the Judiciary Act, which would rebalance and expand the Supreme Court by four seats? We’ve got to fight back against the GOP’s power grab.

Look: I wanted to believe in the independence of the Supreme Court. It's what I learned in junior high. It's what I studied in law school. And it's what I taught when I was a law professor.

But the Supreme Court has fundamentally changed in the past few years — with Mitch McConnell hijacking two seats, and this extremist Court knocking the foundations out of the premise of the rule of law. From campaign finance, to union organizing, to voting rights, to abortion rights, the Court keeps showing that they’re willing to ignore decades of settled law.

And we didn’t get here by accident.

Right-wing extremists and powerful corporate interests have zeroed in on the courts because it gives them a second chance to enact policies that are too unpopular at the ballot box, and too shameful for even some Republican lawmakers to try to write into bills.

By capturing the courts — all the way up to the Supreme Court — corporations give themselves a second chance to deny unions the opportunity to organize. A second chance to keep people who’ve been cheated on a contract out of court. A second chance to deny the rights of people who are injured.

Just look at today’s case, West Virginia v. EPA. Democrats and Republicans in Congress established the EPA, passed the Clean Air Act, and strengthened that law over decades. Heck, even Mitch McConnell voted for the Clean Air Act amendments in 1990, before orchestrating a Supreme Court supermajority that would do his dirty work for him.

The EPA and the Clean Air Act have taken huge steps to keep the American people safe:

Brought down national emissions by 63% from 1980 to 2015.
Kept toxic pollutants like lead, arsenic, and carbon monoxide out of the air we breathe. (Come on: Do Republicans really want to be the pro-arsenic party?)
Saved 230,000 lives and prevented 120,000 emergency room visits in 2020.

And their work is only going to get even more important as we tackle climate change.

But fossil fuel giants and their Republican allies are determined to gut basic environmental protection measures, and they’ve lined up shiny new Supreme Court justices to take their side.

Here’s the thing: Big corporations don’t want to draw too much attention to these cases — where they’re wrong in the court of public opinion, wrong on the merits, and only right when it comes to their profits.

But that’s where this team comes in. Take Back the Court is shining a scorching spotlight on the far right’s takeover — and fighting back.

Add your name to say you’re in this fight today, and support expanding and rebalancing the Supreme Court to protect our hard-won progress and basic rights.

Thanks for being a part of this,

Elizabeth