Dear People For supporter,
This morning, right on the heels of a wave of horrific mass shootings and amid an epidemic of increasing gun violence, the far-right Supreme Court majority decided to make Americans less safe. In a 6-3 decision along ideological lines, the Court overturned New York’s concealed carry law, paving the way for violent people to roam the streets with hidden firearms.
And it’s unlikely to stop there: this Court’s increasingly expansive view of the Second Amendment could severely limit the ability of lawmakers to keep the public safe with other common-sense gun safety restrictions. With today’s ruling, the far-right majority decided to embrace a perverse view of the Second Amendment that not only ignores the text of the amendment itself, but elevates “gun rights” over the rights of Americans to live their lives without the fear of being shot at school, at their neighborhood grocery, or at their place of worship.
Sadly, this decision is not a surprise. Even sadder, it’s part of a growing trend on the Supreme Court to twist the law and the Constitution in a way that serves an extreme far-right agenda at the expense of Americans’ fundamental rights and the greater public good.
This Supreme Court has been weaponized against the American people … the joint product of Donald Trump, Mitch McConnell, and a far-right movement that’s aggressively pursued taking over the judicial branch for decades.
We must restore fairness and a respect for Americans’ rights to fair-minded justices from the Supreme Court on down the federal judiciary – and the only way we get that done is by winning big this November.
This November’s Senate elections will determine whether President Biden will be able to fill another Supreme Court vacancy should one occur during the remainder of his term. Mitch McConnell has already said that if his party wins back control of the Senate, he will BLOCK the confirmation of another Biden nominee.
The midterm elections for the U.S. Congress, for state legislatures, and for state secretaries of state will determine if the Far Right is able to rig the presidential election in 2024 in favor of Donald Trump or a Trump-like candidate, who would be in position to nominate more Supreme Court justices.
And, of course, any measures to reform the Supreme Court – whether it’s expanding the number of justices, term limits, ethics rules, or any other reforms – will never see the light of day if the Far Right controls one or both congressional majorities.
Americans are tired of rampant gun violence and overwhelmingly want tighter gun safety restrictions.
However, thanks to massive infusions of campaign cash from the NRA, growing extremism among the “pro-gun” Right, and the Senate filibuster, Congress has lacked the political courage and ability to pass effective gun safety legislation. Now the far-right Supreme Court majority has stepped in to hamstring state and local legislatures from addressing the gun violence problem.
The only way to fight back against a Supreme Court this radical, that is proving to be such a threat to the American Way, to our democracy, and to our rights, health, and safety is at the ballot box with our votes – so we need to mobilize those votes like never before this summer and fall, and do it against historic headwinds.
Thanks in advance for your support, and for fighting with us to defend the American Way.
Sincerely,
Ben Jealous, President
P.S. The far-right majority on the Roberts Court has gutted the Voting Rights Act and allowed partisan gerrymandering. Their interpretation of the First Amendment says that money is speech and special interests and the ultrawealthy should be able to flood our elections with so much money that it drowns out the voices of voters. They have ruled that corporations have “religious rights” that outweigh the rights of their workers not to be discriminated against. And now they turn their backs on Americans’ right to their fundamental safety.
This Supreme Court’s interpretation of our Constitution is incompatible with our nation’s ability to function … with the government’s responsibility to keep people safe, with having a democracy, and more... These are concepts enshrined in the Constitution that the Bill of Rights was meant to protect, not undermine. The Founders could never have envisioned that a radical Supreme Court would blatantly distort the Constitution and the Bill of Rights and use them to unravel the basic foundations of our country and our society. But that’s what’s happening. Thankfully, we still have the ability – for now – to change things with our votes. So we better make sure we get out every last vote in the next election, and we’re depending on your help.
|
|
Do not reply directly to this e-mail. Please use [email protected]. Trouble viewing the email? THANK YOU for your support of People For the American Way! This email was sent to [email protected]. Reaching you over email is the best way we have to let you know about the ways you can take action to fight the Right Wing and defend our constitutional rights and values. If you have any thoughts, comments, or criticisms, or if there's a better email address at which to reach you, please let us know.>> If you'd like to unsubscribe from our list, you can do that here.>> Radical Right extremists are trying to turn back the clock on a century of advances in civil rights, women’s rights, workers’ rights, the social safety net and more. They’re waging an all-out assault on the fundamental pillars of our country – democracy, checks and balances, a fair and independent judicial branch, and core values like fairness, equality, and justice for all. PFAW is fighting back every day with: ✔ Grassroots organizing But we can’t do this vital work without the robust grassroots financial support of our members and activists.
|
|||
|
