A new message from your friends at People For the American Way.
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Dear People For supporter,

I wanted to drop you a quick note as this eventful and historic week wraps
up, and to say thank you for your generous support of our work – with your
time, activism, and money.

This week, Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson showed America – and indeed, the
whole world – exactly why she is such a brilliant choice for our nation’s
highest court. I had the honor of attending day one of the hearing.

It was evident right away that Judge Jackson will bring a much-needed
perspective to the court – as a Black woman, as a former public defender,
and as someone who has demonstrated a deep commitment to upholding
constitutional rights and values.

We also saw dangerous demagoguery from certain far-right Senators on the
Judiciary Committee – some of whom have clear presidential aspirations –
aimed at riling up the far-right base, from naked appeals to racism, to
red meat for the Radical Right on abortion and same-sex marriage.

Some of the lowlights included:

* Senator Josh Hawley’s ugly attempts to smear Judge Jackson for her
rulings in certain sex offender cases, even though the criticisms had
been widely and thoroughly [ [link removed] ]debunked well before the hearings.

* Senator Blackburn all but calling Judge Jackson a terrorist, in
leveling smears against her pro-bono habeas corpus advocacy involving
prisoners held at Guantanamo Bay ... and nearly everything Sen.
Blackburn said, really, as she tried to drag Judge Jackson’s name
through the mud, accusing her of having a “hidden agenda.”

* Senator Ted Cruz taking Judge Jackson to task for books on anti-racism
available in the library at a school where she serves as a trustee.
Never mind that the same books are available at the school that Cruz’s
own daughters attend in Texas, or that as a trustee Judge Jackson has
nothing to do with the school’s curriculum – it was simply a chance
for Cruz to trot out the Far Right’s new favorite election year
boogeyman.

Those are just a few shameful examples, but there were certainly plenty
more. The good news is that Judge Jackson did as well as any nominee ever
has in her answers, maintaining her composure against the personal attacks
and over-the-top partisan grandstanding.

Through events, videos, social media content, op-eds, and more, this week
People For has been helping to tell the story of what this proud and
historic moment means to people and communities of varying perspectives,
and highlighting their voices.

* Coming into the week, we published [ [link removed] ]a moving video about the case of
William Pierce, a deaf inmate who was denied ASL interpreters and
placed in solitary confinement – and who received justice thanks to
the fair-minded judicial review of Judge Jackson.

* As the hearings opened on Monday, we worked with coalition partners to
stage a [ [link removed] ]rally on the steps of the Supreme Court, including a
powerful speech from our National Director of African American
Religious Affairs, Rev. Leslie Wilson Watson.

* I was honored to be present in the hearing room on Monday – and
afterwards, [ [link removed] ]had a great chat outside with my friend Damon Hewitt,
President of the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, about
this historic day.

* Our fantastic digital team produced a [ [link removed] ]Digital Activist Toolkit to
help spread the word on how ordinary Americans can apply grassroots
power to help counter the far-right smears of Judge Jackson's record.

* On Tuesday, I [ [link removed] ]appeared on CBS News to discuss the second day of
hearings, and rebut Senator Cruz’s baseless attacks on Judge Jackson,
especially with regard to the favorite far-right boogeyman of critical
race theory.

* We saturated social media with video, graphics, and commentary to
build a strong movement behind confirming Judge Jackson. In one
example, we amplified [ [link removed] ]one of the most powerful moments of the
hearings – when Judge Jackson was asked what she would say to young
people across the country who aspire to follow in her footsteps and do
big, scary, amazing things – with a video that at the time I write
this has been viewed almost 110,000 times on Twitter alone.

* With Judge Jackson’s nomination to be the first Black woman on the
Supreme Court serving as an amazing inspiration to young people of
color across the country, we are helping to lift up the youth
perspective. See the [ [link removed] ]powerful op-ed that we helped facilitate, by
Washington, D.C. Youth Mayor Addison Rose, entitled “What Judge
Ketanji Brown Jackson's Confirmation Will Mean To Black Gen-Zers Like
Myself.”

* While Judge Jackson’s confirmation won’t change the 6-3 conservative
majority on the court, she will bring a particular – and much-needed –
range of perspectives and experiences that have not been previously
represented in the justices’ chambers. I spoke to those issues in a
[ [link removed] ]column for Newsweek, “Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson Will Bring Moral
Clarity to SCOTUS.”

It’s been a whirlwind week, but on behalf of everyone here at People For,
thanks for reading – and please know that you have our deepest gratitude
for supplying the fuel to this movement, working tirelessly alongside us,
and allowing us all to do big things together.

Onwards to the confirmation vote, and we look forward to putting Judge
Jackson on the Supreme Court!

Thanks for all you do,

Ben Jealous, President

 

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