It’s been a jam-packed couple of weeks of rallies, events, and planning. On Monday, October 31, we showed up to show our support for affirmative action before the Supreme Court. While these cases are troubling, it was galvanizing to see so many people voice their support for diversity in higher education. In a rally outside the Supreme Court, Alliance for Justice joined numerous other organizations and individuals to make it clear: America supports affirmative action and we all benefit from it. You can watch the speech Rakim Brooks, President of Alliance for Justice, gave on the steps of the Supreme Court here.
You can also read more about the affirmative action cases in a blog post written by Jeevna Sheth, a Dorot Fellow at Alliance for Justice. Additionally, read this guest blog post by Caleb Jackson, Policy Counsel at Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, that discusses the consequences children of color will face if the Supreme Court uproots more precedent and dismantles affirmative action.
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On November 2nd, at AFJ and AFJ Action's Accelerating Toward Justice reception, we celebrated the hard work of key partners including Dana Remus, Trans Queer Pueblo, New Pennsylvania Project, and NARAL, and our organizational commitment to the essential work of protecting our courts and this fragile democracy. In his remarks, Rakim Brooks reminded us that we are not alone in facing the challenges before us. We are surrounded by inspiring leaders and advocates, ensuring the work we do is never in vain.
“Democracy may have no time stamp, but it is still our destiny. Your endurance and mine is testament to our humanity and to our suffering. ‘It is within our power to remake this nation.’ As Langston Hughes, another Harlem great, testified: ‘We can build temples for tomorrow, strong as we know how.’”
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The Good News
The Senate is in recess, but we are recalibrating and pressing on with the important work of filling every vacancy! We are working closely with partners on a push to ensure that the Senate begins the lame duck session with a judicial bang. The early recess was a lost opportunity to make critical progress confirming the 25 federal judicial nominees patiently awaiting confirmation votes in the Senate. As Senators return, there are only a handful of days to take care of business.
We want to see Leader Schumer and the full Democratic Caucus poised and ready to use every opportunity to confirm overdue nominees, especially those with the strongest equal justice records. More specifically, we are calling on the Senate to confirm at least 10 judicial nominees by the end of November. And every Senator must commit to providing every judicial nominee who has cleared the committee an up or down vote of the Senate by the end of the year. And this absolutely cannot come at the cost of our civil rights champions; nominees like Dale Ho and Rachel Bloomekatz cannot be left behind.
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Pay Attention
The Senate is back in session on November 14th, and we’re prepared to make sure confirmations are a priority. It is critical that Majority Leader Schumer prioritize overdue confirmations. Here are just two of the many fantastic nominees we can’t ignore if we want to create a lasting transformation of our courts:
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Rachel Bloomekatz (6th Circuit, Ohio): Bloomekatz is the founder of Bloomekatz LLP, a public interest law firm in Ohio focused on Supreme Court, appellate, and complex litigation in state and federal court. She has briefed and argued cases on a broad range of issues, including voting rights, consumers’ and workers’ rights, and gun safety. Bloomekatz previously worked in some of the country’s top private sector appellate practices and served in government at multiple levels, including as a clerk to Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer. She has been waiting for a confirmation vote since August 4, 2022.
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Dale Ho (Southern District of New York): As one of the nation’s premier civil rights attorneys, Ho has spent his career advocating for our most critical constitutional rights and legal protections and is eminently qualified to serve as a federal judge. Since 2013, Ho has led the ACLU’s Voting Rights Project. As the project’s director, Ho has advocated on behalf of the constitutional rights of voters, regardless of political party. He has been waiting for a discharge and confirmation vote since January 20, 2022.
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What's Next
The timing of the election will be important to our federal push for all the reasons mentioned above and we are also likely to see important shifts at the state level. State supreme courts have been essential defenders against attacks on democracy. Now in the wake of the Dobbs decision, these courts will have an outsized impact on access to abortion and reproductive freedom. Eighteen states will hold elections to select judges to their state’s highest court this November. The future of critical constitutional freedoms will also be on the ballot.
Please note: We regrettably have postponed the next edition of our Holding Court series, Allow Me To Retort: A Conversation with Elie Mystal and Rakim Brooks, until a later date. We will announce a new date for this Twitter Space as soon as possible. |
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