John,

Late last night, Politico released a now-confirmed leaked draft of the Supreme Court’s opinion on the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization case. If the draft is made the official determination of the Court, then Roe v. Wade will be overturned. For the first time in almost 50 years, states will have the power to totally ban abortions.

And, while the opinion would not directly affect any other rulings, it doesn’t stop at abortion. Justice Alito made a deliberate choice to also criticize decisions on gay marriage and even same-sex intimacy as being based on the same principle the majority voted to reject — threatening to overturn those and any similar rulings that establish bodily autonomy.

While this is not yet an official ruling, and abortion is still legal, this ruling would mean the battle for reproductive rights and bodily autonomy would need to be fought in all 50 states. In many states, there are already laws on the books that would go into effect and ban abortion immediately upon this decision. Pennsylvania is not one of those states, and we are ready to fight like hell to make sure it stays that way.

There will be a front of combat against these draconian bans for every branch of government of every state.

That means our state courts will be more crucial than ever to safeguarding our rights. But politicians and moneyed special interests are trying to undermine their independence and improperly influence judges in order to get cases decided in their favor.

State courts need to be free from outside influences from special interests and politicians so they can deliver equal justice, and every person can receive a ruling that is independent, impartial, and fair.

Approximately 95 percent of all the legal cases in the U.S. are decided in state courts, which is why our fight to have them maintain their independence is more important than ever.

Here at the New Pennsylvania Project we are committed to being a leader in this fight and will continue keeping you informed of our important and critical work.

Thank you for being with us in this fight. Will you make a contribution today to help us continue to expand the electorate in Pennsylvania?

In solidarity,

Kadida Kenner

Founding Executive Director
The New Pennsylvania Project