WASHINGTON, D.C. — This week, People For the American Way joined Senator Elizabeth Warren for a briefing about confirming all of President Biden’s pending judicial nominees before the Senate adjourns. The briefing also featured experts from the National Women’s Law Center (NWLC), the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights (LCCR), Alliance for Justice (AFJ), and the NAACP Legal Defense Fund (NAACP LDF).
Senator Warren reminded audience participants about the power the Senate Democrats have to confirm all pending Biden nominees and offered crucial insights into what the continued fight for fair courts means for the next four years.
“It’s important to remember that Democrats in the Senate still have power, and how we use that power in the final weeks of this Congress really sets the tone for how we’re going to fight back,” said Senator Warren. “The most impactful use of our power is to confirm the pending nominees. One single judge can be responsible for hundreds of rulings that hurt or help working families.” She added, “When Republicans were in charge, they ran ‘all the way through the tape,’ a phrase that then-leader McConnell used. Democrats need to do the same. This is the moment we need to keep pushing to run through the tape.”
“One of the best ways to resist Trump’s looming attacks on our civil rights and freedoms is to confirm all pending Biden judicial nominees to help safeguard against those attacks. This includes the four currently pending excellent nominees to circuit courts that cover 16 states and Puerto Rico, and serve more than 100 million people,” said People For President Svante Myrick. “These courts impact our daily lives — consumer rights, abortion care, LGBTQ rights, the environment. The Senate needs to stay in and do whatever it takes to get the job done.”
Experts answered questions about the impact of courts on the constituencies they serve; the importance of lower courts, particularly circuit courts; expectations for holding Trump’s judicial nominees accountable during his administration for decisions that hurt all of us; and how people can be part of the fight.
The People For briefing followed a “Sleeping Bag” delivery to Democratic Senators, earlier in the week, with an urgent message: “Work late. Work weekends. Confirm every judge.” Coalition participants included Stand Up, Indivisible, Progressive Change Institute, Alliance for Justice, NWLC, and NAACP LDF who met with and delivered a sleeping bag directly to Senator Cory Booker.
#ConfirmJudgesNow efforts will continue through the end of the year and include digital actions, coalition organizing, petitions, calls to senate offices, and in-person deliveries until the Senate confirms all of President Biden’s pending nominees.
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About Us People For the American Way is a national progressive advocacy organization that inspires and mobilizes Americans to defend freedom, justice, and democracy from those who threaten to take them away. For more than four decades, we have been dedicated to making the promise of America real for everyone and have worked toward a vision of a vibrant America where basic rights and freedoms are upheld for all, not just the wealthy and the powerful. Learn more: http://www.peoplefor.org
