FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 1, 2021
Contacts: Kenny Palmer, Indivisible | press@indivisible.org
Matt Lehrich, Take Back the Court | matt@letmebeclear.com
Colin Diersing, Demand Justice | colin@demandjustice.org
Christina Harvey, Stand Up America | christina@standupamerica.com
Molly Coleman, People’s Parity Project | molly@peoplesparity.org
Colleen Roache, Demos Action | croache@demosaction.org
Washington, DC -- Today, the Unrig the Courts Coalition released the following statement on a volatile Supreme Court term that saw a significant rollback of LGBTQ rights, workers’ rights to organize, and a full frontal assault on the right to vote:
“Civil rights, workers’ rights, LGBTQ rights, and the sacred right to vote were on the docket this term at the Supreme Court, and it was bad news for all of the above.
“The American people should not be fooled by the fact that the liberal justices joined some of these controversial opinions on highly technical grounds to prevent even more destructive rulings -- a handful of agreeable moments does not magically erase the clear partisan lean of this ultra-conservative Court and the damage it is doing to the civil rights of marginalized people. Today’s decisions, which significantly undermined what was left of the Voting Rights Act and which will allow big money donors to continue to operate in secret, proves this beyond a shadow of a doubt.
“The Supreme Court, led by Chief Justice John Roberts, is skilled at chipping away at constitutional rights and civil liberties with a subtle knife, hoping to evade notice. It won’t work. The Unrig the Courts coalition will continue to fight for critical reforms to the judiciary, most importantly, the expansion of the Supreme Court. We cannot spend every June hoping and praying that the 6 conservative justices will grow a conscience and do the right thing. We must restore balance to the Court, and faith in the institution, by adding seats.”
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The Unrig the Courts Coalition is dedicated to enacting structural court reforms, the most important of which is expanding the Supreme Court. The coalition is made up of the following core organizations: Indivisible, Take Back the Court, Demand Justice, Sunrise Movement, People’s Parity Project, Demos Action, Just Democracy, Stand Up America, Center for Popular Democracy, and 350.org.