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March 21, 2014 5:29 pm | By Paul GordonJamie Raskin Discusses Hobby Lobby and Corporate Religion
Thursday afternoon, PFAW hosted a special member telebriefing on Sebelius v. Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc., a critically important case being argued before the Supreme Court next week that represents the overlap of two important issues: attacks on women's health, and…
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March 20, 2014 4:29 pm | By Jen HerrickUrgent Action Needed on Georgia Early Voting Bill on Last Day of Legislative Session
Updated March 21: Georgia's legislative session closed without final action being taken on HB 891. According to Facing South, "House sponsors declined to take up a vote on the revised bill, and HB 891 was dead." The report quotes Kelli…
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March 18, 2014 6:24 pm | By Jen HerrickPeople For the American Way and Allies Tell Congress, “Stand up for Safe Schools”
Last week we told you about Marcel Neergaard, who has consistently spoken out against the "don't say gay" push in Tennessee. Marcel's latest words have come in the month leading up to the Day of Silence, an annual event organized…
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March 18, 2014 3:10 pm | By Paul Gordon
West Texas Judges Talk About the Need for More Judges
In discussing the severe conditions of the federal courts in Texas, we have noted that the Western District is one of the areas in particularly desperate need of new judges. The nonpartisan Judicial Conference of the United States – the…
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March 17, 2014 3:06 pm | By Paul Gordon
Severe Conditions in Texas Courts
The Judicial Conference of the United States is a formal, nonpartisan body of federal judges that carefully analyzes courts' caseloads and makes recommendations concerning how many judgeships are needed to ensure that the work of justice gets done. It was…
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March 14, 2014 9:41 pm | By Jen HerrickYoung People Are Leading the Way on Marriage and Family Equality
Last week's Washington Post-ABC News poll revealed that a supermajority now supports marriage equality, and half believe it's a constitutional right. This week the Pew Research Center released its own numbers. 54 percent of respondents to the Pew poll, conducted…
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March 14, 2014 9:39 pm | ByHow Money in Politics Undermines Diversity in Elected Office
During a speech to a packed audience at the University of Washington on Monday, Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor was asked by a student what problems need to be fixed in order to see more women and people of color…
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March 14, 2014 6:34 pm | By Paul Gordon
More Professional Diversity in Recent Judicial Nominations
To ensure the best possible federal courts, it is essential that our nation's judges have significant diversity in their professional backgrounds and experiences. While prosecutors and corporate lawyers can and often do make terrific judges, a judiciary composed of only…
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March 14, 2014 5:18 pm | By Calvin Sloan
Over Thirty Towns in the Granite State Call for a Constitutional Amendment To Get Big Money Out of Politics
Over the past week in New Hampshire, in efforts supported by People For the American Way activists, 31 towns have passed resolutions calling for a constitutional amendment to overturn the Supreme Court’s decisions in Citizens United and related cases. In…
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March 14, 2014 2:07 pm | By adminMississippi Tries to Redefine Southern Hospitality With Proposed ‘Right to Discriminate’ Bill
The following is a guest blog from Zane Ballard, a Fellow in affiliate People For the American Way Foundation’s Young People For program. In spite of the nationwide outcry over Arizona’s SB 1062, the “Turn Away the Gays” bill vetoed…
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March 13, 2014 6:40 pm | By Layne AmerikanerMoney Buys Political Access, New Study Confirms
We can file this under news that should shock no one: a new study has found that members of Congress and their top staffers are significantly more likely to meet with political donors than with other constituents. The study –…
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March 13, 2014 5:09 pm | By Paul Gordon
Senators Cornyn and Cruz Don’t Help Texas Nominee
Several days ago we asked what Texas Senators John Cornyn and Ted Cruz would do at this week's business meeting of the Senate Judiciary Committee, on which they both serve. Would they stand up for their home-state's Fifth Circuit judicial…
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March 12, 2014 9:24 pm | By Peter MontgomerySen. Diane Feinstein Charges CIA Obstruction of Senate Investigation
Yesterday, Sen. Dianne Feinstein made an extraordinary 40-minute speech on the Senate floor denouncing the Central Intelligence Agency for obstructing congressional oversight by withholding information, intimidating staff involved in a congressional investigation, and removing documents from computers being used by…
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March 12, 2014 8:40 pm | By Jen HerrickFrom “Right to Discriminate” to “Don’t Say Gay,” Standing up in Tennessee
With "right to discriminate" bills making news across the country, Tennessee's "don't say gay" battle continues to have a lasting – and inspiring – impact. In 2011, Tennessee made national headlines for its effort to pass a "don't say gay"…
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March 12, 2014 3:06 pm | By Ben BetzJohn Boehner’s House — The Future of the Senate?
Look no further than John Boehner’s House of Representatives (really run by the Tea Party) for a crystal clear view of what we’ll get in the Senate if the GOP wins in November and takes full control of Congress. Every…
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March 11, 2014 9:58 pm | By Paul Gordon
Will Texas Senators Help Delay 5th Circuit Judicial Nominee Gregg Costa?
This Thursday, the Senate Judiciary Committee is scheduled to vote on several judicial nominees, including Fifth Circuit nominee Gregg Costa of Texas. With two Texans on the committee and the vacancy having been designated a judicial emergency by the Administrative…
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March 11, 2014 6:21 pm | By Jen HerrickBehind the Scenes with the Right-Wing on Arizona’s “Right to Discriminate” Bill
At the end of February, Right Wing Watch introduced us to the Center for Arizona Policy's Cathi Herrod, who helped lead the effort to pass a "right to discriminate" bill in Arizona. Cathi Herrod of the Center for Arizona Policy…
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March 11, 2014 4:34 pm | By Jen HerrickFlorida Senate Committee Takes Up Voting Rights Bill
At the same time pro-democracy advocates in Wisconsin were speaking out against their state's latest suppressive legislation yesterday, the Senate Ethics and Elections Committee in Florida also had election reform on the agenda. SPB 7068 – which cleared a procedural…
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March 11, 2014 2:18 pm | ByCPAC: The Right-Wing Woodstock or a Bad Family Reunion?
Like at a family reunion, the infighting at this year's Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) started long before anybody arrived. First, the group American Atheists announced that it would be sponsoring a booth at the conference, with the goal of…
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March 11, 2014 1:38 pm | By Alex HartSarah Palin Rewrites Green Eggs And Ham For CPAC
This article originally appeared on our Right Wing Watch blog. Michele Bachmann kicked off Saturday’s program at CPAC by explaining that the Tea Party is “at its core is an intellectual movement.” It was only fitting, then, that Sarah Palin…