FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 12, 2020
Media Contact:
Marie Aberger, marie@letmebeclear.com (Take Back the Court)
Sarafina Chitika sarafina@demandjustice.org (Demand Justice)
Emily Phelps, emily@indivisible.org (Indivisible)
On Tuesday, June 30th at 5pm PT / 8pm ET, Indivisible, Take Back the Court, and Demand Justice are coming together to host a virtual protest to fight back against the Supreme Court and press for Court reform: “Fight Back for Fair Courts.” The powerful lineup of protest speakers includes Senator Elizabeth Warren, Black Futures Lab Principal and National Domestic Workers Alliance Strategy and Partnerships Director Alicia Garza, comedian and host of CNN's United Shades of America W. Kamau Bell, Pod Save America co-host and former Obama advisor Dan Pfeiffer, and Sunrise Movement Executive Director Varshini Prakash.
The partisan, conservative justices on the stolen Supreme Court are poised to inflict tremendous damage to our democracy before the end of their term this month: they could expose Dreamers to deportation, allow discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity, keep Trump’s tax returns secret, and weaken the legal right to abortion — all while the fate of the ACA hangs in the balance during a global pandemic.
“Even though we won’t be gathering in person in front of the Supreme Court, doesn’t mean we can’t get out the protest signs,” said Aaron Belkin, Executive Director, Take Back the Court. “We want to show we will fight back against the attacks on our rights by demanding reform to rebalance and restore legitimacy to the Supreme Court. Democracy hangs in the balance, and we must make our voices heard.”
“From the fate of DACA and Trump's tax returns to abortion access and protection from gender discrimination -- the Supreme Court has a handful of massively important decisions to make that affect every facet of our lives,” said Meagan Hatcher-Mays, Director of Democracy Policy for the Indivisible Project. “With all that's at stake, we just can't afford to sit by and hope that conservative, partisan justices will make the right decisions for the people and for our democracy.”
"Over the next few weeks, partisan justices on the Supreme Court are going to demonstrate that they pose an existential threat to our civil rights, our democracy, and our ability to deliver desperately needed solutions to crises facing the country," said Christopher Kang, Chief Counsel, Demand Justice. "These political justices have continued their attack on our democracy throughout the pandemic, and we're ready to continue fighting back by growing the movement for Court reform.
The hour-long virtual protest will be streamed live on Facebook and Twitter. Protestors will have an opportunity to submit protest signs in the coming weeks, and a selection of signs will be highlighted during the event. More details to come.
WHO:
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Senator Elizabeth Warren
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Alicia Garza, Principal, Black Futures Lab, Strategy and Partnerships Director, National Domestic Workers Alliance and Co-founder, Black Lives Matter
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W. Kamau Bell, comedian and host of CNN's United Shades of America
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Dan Pfeiffer, Pod Save America co-host and former Obama advisor
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Mara Keisling, Executive Director, National Center for Transgender Equality
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Varshini Prakash, Executive Director, Sunrise Movement
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Brian Fallon, Executive Director, Demand Justice
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Leah Greenberg and Ezra Levin, co-founders, Indivisible
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Aaron Belkin, Executive Director, Take Back the Court
WHAT: Virtual Protest — Fight Back for Fair Courts!
WHEN: Tuesday, June 30th, 5pm PT/ 8pm ET
WHERE: RSVP to join the livestream: https://act.indivisible.org/signup/060820-virtual-protest-end-scotus-term-we-are-not-powerless-fight-back/
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Demand Justice educates and mobilizes the public against the capture of the federal courts by corporate and partisan interests.
Indivisible Civics (501c3) supports civic education and leadership development for local Indivisible groups by offering trainings, facilitating regional group coordination, building partnerships, demystifying federal and state policy processes, and supporting voter registration.
Take Back the Court raises awareness about the urgent need to expand the number of seats on the Supreme Court to address the theft of the Court by Senator Mitch McConnell during the Obama Administration. Learn more: https://www.takebackthecourt.today/