WASHINGTON, D.C., November 7, 2020 – In Tuesday’s election, Joe Biden scored a decisive victory for the White House, but Republicans could still yet maintain narrow control of the Senate.

Alliance for Justice Action Campaign President Nan Aron issued the following statement:

“Voters across the country made clear they see a different vision for our future and our courts than Trump’s parade of unqualified judicial nominees with extremist records. Voters recognized the hypocrisy of Trump’s empty pledges to protect our health care and our rights while stacking the courts with ultraconservative ideologues who will only undermine our democracy and the rights we hold dear. In several states, that meant voting out senators whose final defining legacy was rubber-stamping Trump’s judges.

This was a shot across the bow to Republican senators who overwhelmingly confirmed nominees they expect to do their dirty work of stripping away our rights they know they don’t have the support for in Congress. We will continue to hold them accountable for trying to rig the courts for their dangerous agenda. In the meantime, we will continue to fight to protect our courts from conservative takeover at both the federal and state levels.

In states like Colorado and Arizona, voters stood up for the courts. Soon, the courts will once again stand up for them.”

WASHINGTON, D.C., November 4, 2020 – With the votes tallied, Michigan voters have elected Elizabeth Welch and Bridget McCormack to serve on the Michigan Supreme Court. Alliance for Justice Action Campaign had endorsed these fair-minded candidates and supported them through a five-figure ad buy.

Alliance for Justice Action Campaign President Nan Aron issued the following statement:

“Michiganders have voted for justice, electing Elizabeth Welch and Bridget McCormack to the state’s Supreme Court. They recognized that our state supreme courts are essential to enforce our laws and protect our rights and created a majority that will put people first, not the wealthy and powerful. Alliance for Justice Action Campaign was proud to support the election of Welch and McCormack. They have proven their commitment to advancing our rights and protections in critical areas that matter to Michiganders like health care, the environment, and education. All states should ensure their supreme court will uphold the rule of law and not just follow a partisan agenda.”

WASHINGTON, D.C., October 26, 2020 – A new Alliance for Justice Action Campaign ad is urging Michigan voters to vote for Bridget McCormack and Elizabeth Welch for the Michigan State Supreme Court in this election.

The five-figure ad buy features Leah Litman, assistant professor of law at the University of Michigan and co-host of the acclaimed Strict Scrutiny podcast. “For years, these women have fought for justice for all Michiganders — protecting workers, the environment, and your most cherished rights,” Litman says in the ad. “Together, McCormack and Welch will continue to move the court forward.”

As the ad notes, state supreme courts hear 95% of all legal cases in the U.S. and have the final say on state law. That’s why it’s pivotal that voters fill out the whole ballot, including who will spend the next eight years on the Michigan Supreme Court.

View the ad here.

Alliance for Justice Action Campaign President Nan Aron issued the following statement:

“The fate of the U.S. Supreme Court has been in the spotlight recently, but our state courts are now on the line. Michigan voters have the opportunity to elect two fair-minded justices to their Supreme Court for the next eight years, whose decisions would impact our rights for decades to come. State supreme courts play a pivotal role in public health, education funding, patients’ rights, congressional redistricting, workers’ rights, LGBTQ equality, and reproductive freedom — all of which are in real danger in the coming years. The people of Michigan deserve judges who will stand up for laws that protect all people, not judges who will follow a partisan agenda to dismantle them. That’s why Alliance for Justice Action Campaign is urging voters to support Bridget McCormack and Elizabeth Welch.”

WASHINGTON, D.C., October 23, 2020 – Today, Alliance for Justice Action Campaign, Lawyers for Good Government, and Equal Justice Society will join thousands of lawyers across the country to demand that senators oppose the nomination of Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court. Following up on the letter of opposition that over 7,000 lawyers have now signed, today’s day of action will include a massive Senate call-in campaign and significant rallying on social media.

The message will be clear: Barrett was nominated to threaten the nation’s health care, reproductive freedom, civil rights, and democracy itself if she helps Donald Trump steal the election.

“Our nation’s top legal minds recognize clearly the damage Amy Coney Barrett will do,” said Nan Aron, president of Alliance for Justice Action Campaign. “It’s unprecedented for lawyers to unite against a Supreme Court nominee on this scale. Our opposition sends a resounding signal that Barrett will only compound the damage Trump’s judges have inflicted on our justice system.

“Lawyers are speaking out together in this historic moment because the fundamental rights of hundreds of millions of Americans are at stake. Confirming Judge Amy Coney Barrett will cause significant and irreparable harm to both the rule of law and our democracy,” said Lawyers for Good Government’s president Traci Feit Love.

“The nomination of Judge Amy Coney Barrett is the realization of a 50-year-old vision of the conservative movement to pack the Supreme Court with right-wing ideologues. Judge Barrett ruled that calling a Black man the n-word did not create a hostile working environment. She has done nothing to learn about our country’s 400 years of violent racism. Her confirmation is a real and present danger to civil rights. I was born in Texas when Plessy v. Ferguson was the law and I became a civil rights lawyer because the federal judiciary protected and advanced the rights of Black people. Judge Barrett’s confirmation will mark a pause in that forward progress,” said Eva Paterson, President, Equal Justice Society

Daily Kos, MoveOn, The Leadership Conference, and the #OurCourt Coalition Lead Push to Pause Confirmation of Amy Coney Barrett

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Daily Kos, MoveOn, The Leadership Conference, and the #OurCourt coalition delivered over 3.2 million petition signatures to the offices of Sens. Lisa Murkowski, Joni Ernst, Mitch McConnell, Mike Lee, Mitt Romney, Thom Tillis, Richard Burr, Martha McSally, Cory Gardner, and Susan Collins, calling on them to postpone the confirmation of Amy Coney Barrett to the U.S. Supreme Court until after the winner of November’s presidential election takes office.

“Republicans know they’re facing losing the presidency and their majority in the U.S. Senate on Nov. 3, which is why they are desperately rushing Barrett’s confirmation vote in a last-gasp effort to pack the Supreme Court. While they’re busy engaging in this frantic act of political theater, millions are struggling with hunger and evictions as the economic fallout caused by the coronavirus pandemic continues to ravage Americans lives,” said Carolyn Fiddler, Daily Kos communications director. “Millions of Americans have spoken: It’s time for Republican senators to prioritize what matters most to American families instead of pressing forward with this blatant attempt to usurp the legitimacy of the highest court in the land.”

“Leader McConnell failed to provide meaningful relief during the pandemic and to respond to the calls for racial justice,” said Vanita Gupta, president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights. “Senate Republicans are stopping at nothing to push through their misplaced priorities and rush this sham confirmation process, even ignoring the more than 42 million people who have already voted. Trump has threatened that his third justice will jeopardize health care access and so many of our fundamental civil and human rights. Barrett’s record demonstrates that she was chosen because she will work for powerful interests, not for equal justice for all. Her hearing did nothing to alleviate our grave concerns and we demand that the Senate listen to the petition signatories and voters and reject this nomination.”

“The rushed and blatantly partisan nomination process of Amy Coney Barett, has been a complete sham and an insult to the legacy of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg,” said Brianna Twofoot, National Organizing Director of Planned Parenthood Action Fund. “Coney Barett’s record makes clear that if appointed to the Supreme Court, she would be a direct threat to our reproductive rights and our health care, The Senate must not vote on the nomination of Amy Coney Barett until after Inauguration Day.”

“President Trump has repeatedly told us he expects Amy Coney Barrett will overturn health care protections and abortion rights and hand him a contested election, and we shouldn’t expect anything less. Barrett’s record and evasiveness confirm this,” said Nan Aron, President, Alliance for Justice Action Campaign. “The people of this country see this Republican power grab for exactly what it is. We will all hold these senators accountable for doing more to enshrine dangerous ultraconservative policies in the law than to protect Americans from a national pandemic, an economic crisis, and a legacy of racial inequality.”

“Journalists keep asking Democrats about court-packing. By blocking Obama’s nominee in 2016, when there was ample time for advice and consent, while rushing this nomination through the Senate without sufficient time, McConnell and the GOP are the court-packers,” said Jeff Cohen, cofounder of RootsAction.org.

“Another stolen Supreme Court seat threatens a devastating setback to our progress tackling climate change and the other great challenges of our time – progress that simply cannot wait. But Food & Water Action, along with the millions of people who have demanded a stop to this confirmation, will work to ensure this illegitimate power grab won’t go unanswered,” said Tarah Heinzen, Legal Director at Food & Water Action.

“The majority of Americans want to keep our health care coverage and don’t want another Supreme Court confirmation before the election, but nearly all Republican senators are refusing to listen. Instead they’re ramming this nomination through, regardless of how many people are hurt, because they want a partisan 6-3 court to defend their ultraconservative political agenda,” said Ben Jealous, president of People For the American Way. “The voters see exactly what’s going on here and they don’t like it. Republicans would be smart to pay attention to the millions of people who oppose this nomination process. Those voters, along with those who signed the petition being delivered today, will also be voting in less than two weeks.”

“Senators need to use every tool at their disposal to stop this illegitimate confirmation process until a new president takes office. Donald Trump and Mitch McConnell want to pack the court with right-wing extremists who will undermine voting rights this fall and hobble the next president from addressing the critical needs facing this country. It’s time for Senators from both parties to put a stop to this nomination before it proceeds any further,” said Robert Cruickshank, Campaign Director of Demand Progress.

The signatures were collected by a broad coalition, including the Alliance for Justice Action Campaign, California Clean Money Action Fund, California National Organization for Women, Center for Reproductive Rights, Color of Change, Common Cause, Daily Kos, Demand Progress, Everytown for Gun Safety, Faith in Public Life Action, Family Equality, Food & Water Action, The Juggernaut Project, MoveOn, NARAL, National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum (NAPAWF), National Women’s Law Center, Other98, People For the American Way, PPFA, Population Connection Action Fund, Power to Decide, Progress America, Rep. Raul Grijalva, RootsAction.org, Sierra Club, and the Women’s March.

Daily Kos is the nation’s largest online progressive media and activism hub and leads the way in supporting Democrats across the country, raising over $7.4 million for candidates and campaigns in small, grassroots donations in the 2020 cycle.

WASHINGTON, D.C., October 22, 2020 – Vice President Biden’s statement about establishing a commission to reform the courts signals a commitment to make the courts a priority for his administration.

Alliance for Justice Action Campaign President Nan Aron issued the following statement:

President Trump, aided by Senator Mitch McConnell, has packed our courts with ultraconservative judicial nominees who are overwhelmingly white (92%) and male (76%). In many cases, these nominees lack experience serving America’s most vulnerable populations — people who are often dependent on the courts to obtain justice. As a result, our courts are starting to look less like chambers of equal justice, and more like exclusive clubs where only certain people need apply. This administration’s nominee will threaten voting rights, health care, reproductive choice, worker’s rights, environmental justice, LGBTQ protections, and our freedoms and liberties.

For more than forty years, Alliance for Justice has insisted that America’s courts be served by highly qualified judges who will safeguard the rights of all, not just the wealthy and the powerful.  Therefore, we call on Vice President Biden to include civil rights, public interest, public defenders, and plaintiff lawyers, as well as other lawyers who represent disenfranchised peoples as a part of the proposed commission. Moreover, in establishing the commission, Biden must establish clearly defined goals and priorities, chief among them being developing a set of recommendations for ensuring that the federal judiciary not only reflects the demographic diversity of the nation in its composition, but also the diversity of legal practice and attorneys who have advocated for clients of varying backgrounds in previous roles, and who encompass a range of socioeconomic, sexual, geographic, and racial identities. This is an opportunity to undo the damage Senate Republicans have done to our courts, as well as ensure our courts are representative of the people they serve.

Many solutions for expanding and preserving access to justice have been studied for years, and could be implemented without establishing a commission. We strongly encourage Biden to reduce the anticipated life of the commission from 180 to 90 days. The damage a 6–3 conservative majority on the Supreme Court could do even in that time is a great risk to take.

Our democracy is stronger when the judiciary is comprised of judges who are fair-minded and unbiased, who are committed to the principle of equal justice under the law, and whose backgrounds speak to the full breadth of the American experience. Alliance for Justice Action Campaign looks forward to working with an administration dedicated to ensuring that the judiciary — our third co-equal branch of government — promotes equal justice for all citizens, regardless of wealth or access to power.

WASHINGTON, D.C., October 15, 2020 – Alliance for Justice Action Campaign announced a five-figure ad buy for a new spot opposing the nomination of Amy Coney Barrett. The ad will run across Facebook and target viewers in Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Iowa, Maine, and North Carolina through the Senate’s confirmation vote.

The ad highlights that President Trump nominated Barrett to overturn the Affordable Care Act, which would take health care away from millions. She is also on record opposing reproductive rights, civil rights, and gun safety. She could even weigh in on the election itself, meaning she poses a threat to protections Americans have long held dear and democracy itself.

Alliance for Justice Action Campaign President Nan Aron issued the following statement:

“The nomination of Amy Coney Barrett has been completely rushed, through and through. We know exactly why the president nominated her, and we know exactly why Senate Republicans are in a rush to confirm her.

They want a Justice who will side with the wealthy and powerful over everyday Americans.

They want a Justice who will favor big corporations and ultraconservative special interests.

And they want a Justice who will overturn the Affordable Care Act and Roe v. Wade.

Millions of voters have already cast their ballots. We must not allow Trump and Senate Republicans to override their votes, steal the election, and dismantle our health care and our rights.”

The ad can be viewed here.

WASHINGTON, D.C., September 26, 2020 – Senate Republicans repeatedly stated that, in an election year, the American people should decide who selects a Supreme Court Justice—ramming through Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s replacement during the election process is yet another power grab to advance their extreme agenda.

Trump and Senate Republicans have been consistently clear they expect the Supreme Court – and nominee Amy Coney Barrett herself – to ensure their victories in a potentially-disputed election. Trump has gone as far as claiming the Court would invalidate ballots his own campaign intends to contest— implying his nominee must be committed to undermining a core tenet of democracy, that every vote counts, in addition to taking away healthcare from millions and overturning Roe v. Wade.

Trump has made it clear he’ll only nominate judges who will overturn the Affordable Care Act and Roe v. Wade. Amy Coney Barrett is already on the record opposing both.

Alliance for Justice Action Campaign President Nan Aron released the following statement:

“The president is clearly trying to use the Supreme Court to orchestrate his reelection, even if it means overruling the will of the people.

For months, he sowed doubts about voter protection measures and absentee ballots, the very kind of ballots that he uses to vote. Now he named a Supreme Court nominee with the brazen expectation that she will be seated and rule in his favor when he challenges the election results.

Republicans are counting on the courts to do the dirty work of advancing an agenda they know voters would never support, from rigging the election to stripping away health care, voting rights, reproductive rights, protections for workers, LGBTQ people, and more.

Most striking, just days after the election, the Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in the challenge to the Affordable Care Act and be primed to fulfill the president’s wish of taking away healthcare from millions, including eradicating protections for those with preexisting conditions—all during a worldwide pandemic which has killed hundreds of thousands of Americans and left millions more to cope with chronic lifelong health conditions.

We cannot allow this president to steal the election, our courts, and our healthcare.”

See our campaign to #BlockBarret here.

WASHINGTON, DC, September 18, 2020 – Alliance for Justice Action Campaign President Nan Aron issued the following statement on the passing of Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg:

“Today we mourn the loss of an icon, Associate Justice Ginsburg. Justice Ginsburg dedicated her life to protecting our rights and advancing justice.

Justice Ginsburg was a pioneer and as we remember her legacy, we are doubling down on our commitment to preserve and protect it. The fate of our rights, our democracy, and our future demands it.

Justice Ginsburg made our charge clear in her own words, “My most fervent wish is that I will not be replaced until a new president is installed.”

We are just six weeks from the election. The American people must decide who should appoint her successor.

Trump, Senator McConnell, and their allies in the Senate have made clear their commitment to installing judges and justices who are bent on reversing course on the rights and protections Justice Ginsburg championed, even in the face of the health, economic, and racial justice crises they should be working to address.

Indeed, in 2016, Republicans said the American people should decide in an election year who should nominate a supreme court justice.

Voters should ensure these senators stand by their purported principles now.

We are ready to hold them to their word.”

WASHINGTON, DC, August 17, 2020 – As the Democratic National Convention convenes this week, the Alliance for Justice Action Campaign encourages speakers to make the courts a pivotal focus alongside addressing the pandemic and mounting economic disaster. Voters remain galvanized by the disgraceful confirmation of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh and continue to watch President Trump and Senate Republicans stack the courts with over 200 extremist judges – many of whom have expressed a desire to take away healthcare for millions and roll back basic human rights.

AFJ Action President Nan Aron issued the following statement:

“This election is a pivotal moment to stop the erosion of independence and fairness in our federal courts.

The fate of our rights, freedoms, and rule of law could be determined by a single Supreme Court vacancy. The next administration must be prepared, on day one, to undo the damage Trump and Senate Republicans have done to our judicial system and defend the protections we hold dear.

It is painfully obvious that Republicans weaponize the courts to do their dirty work in an attempt to dismantle health care protections, civil rights, and more. With any future legislation that strengthens access to healthcare or civil rights, Republicans will again turn to this dirty trick, so any progressive agenda must prioritize the judiciary in order to safeguard this progress.

Our Building the Bench initiative is identifying and assisting in the confirmation of judges under the next Administration who will serve the cause of justice for all people, not just the wealthy and powerful.”

AFJ Action Campaign will be monitoring the convention and emphasizing why #CourtsMatter on social media, and is available to provide additional commentary and resources on how the courts are critical to protect access to quality health care, rights for women, LGBTQ persons, workers, and consumers, as well as clean air and clean water.

WASHINGTON, DC, April 13, 2020 – Results are in from Wisconsin’s April 7 election, which, despite the coronavirus pandemic, took place as scheduled. Voting locations were dramatically curtailed and additional accommodations for absentee voters were not provided, forcing voters to run the deadly risk of exposure to the coronavirus at the polls or give up their right to vote. Despite Republicans’ efforts to suppress the vote across the state, with the hope that the disproportionate impact on racial minorities would benefit them, progressive challenger Jill Karofsky won a seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court. Karofsky will take the seat of Scott Walker-appointee Daniel Kelly, whom President Trump had endorsed. The Alliance for Justice Action Campaign endorsed Karofsky in this race and launched a paid ad campaign supporting her.

Alliance for Justice Action Campaign President Nan Aron issued the following statement:

“Republicans’ machinations to suppress the vote turned the Wisconsin election into a travesty of democracy, but their tactics to steal a state Supreme Court seat appear to have failed. Regardless of the outcome, Republican lawmakers should not have conspired with the state court’s conservatives to force such a dangerous election the day before it took place. We applaud those who were able to withstand hours-long lines as they risked their health to cast their ballots — a choice no one should have to make — as well as those who worked the polls to ensure they could vote.

“The Alliance for Justice Action Campaign was proud to endorse Jill Karofsky, who will undoubtedly be a fair justice committed to protecting the rights of every Wisconsinite — the first of many state supreme court candidates our organization plans to fight for. Still, it’s disappointing that her victory came at the expense of such a dangerous process. While we celebrate her win, we remain vigilant in combating any attempt that will force voters to risk their lives or lose the right to vote.”

WASHINGTON, DC, April 6, 2020 – Following Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers’ attempt to push back tomorrow’s election to protect the health of his constituents, the state Supreme Court overruled his order, requiring the election to take place Tuesday and risking the lives of thousands of the state’s citizens because of the coronavirus pandemic. Subsequently, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled against an attempt to extend the time Wisconsin voters could return their absentee ballots, essentially denying the vote to hundreds of thousands who had not yet even received those ballots.

Alliance for Justice Action Campaign President Nan Aron released the following statement:

“Republicans have exploited a global health pandemic to deny Wisconsites’ basic access to democracy. Republicans can no longer hide their intent to suppress the vote. From Republican state lawmakers, to the Republican-controlled State Supreme Court, to the Republican-controlled U.S. Supreme Court, we saw an unabashed willingness to force people to choose between protecting their health or exercising a core constitutional right. Through no fault of their own, untold thousands will have no opportunity to cast their vote — all because Republicans believe they stand to benefit from poor turnout. Today’s unprecedented events just go to show how fragile the simple right to vote can be and how important it is to support fair-minded jurists like Jill Karofsky.”

AFJ Action Campaign recently launched a five-figure ad campaign supporting Jill Karofsky for justice as part of its new State Courts Matter initiative. Read more about why state courts matter here.