Blog Posts Archive - Page 169 of 286 - People For the American Way

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February 25, 2014 8:33 pm | By Peter Montgomery

Public Turning Against the Private Prison Racket

PFAW’s 2012 report, “Predatory Privatization: Exploiting Financial Hardship, Enriching the One Percent, Undermining Democracy,” included a section titled, “The Pernicious Private Prison Industry.” We reported that across the country, private prisons were often violent, poorly run facilities that put prisoners,…
February 25, 2014 2:17 pm | By

The GOP’s Ted Nugent Problem

The Republican Party in the era of the Tea Party and the "autopsy" can't make up its mind. Torn between expanding its base so that it can survive in the long term and appeasing its loyalists so it can survive…
February 24, 2014 7:39 pm | By Bernardita

Senate to Vote Today on Four Federal District Court Nominees

The Senate is scheduled to vote to end filibusters and then to confirm four federal district court nominees tonight and tomorrow morning, two for the Northern District of California, one for the Eastern District of Arkansas, and one for the…
February 24, 2014 5:01 pm | By Drew Courtney

Pressure Mounts for Brewer to Veto Anti-Gay Law

Ever since Arizona’s legislature passed a bill that would allow business owners to refuse service to gay and lesbian customers, pressure has been mounting on Governor Jan Brewer to veto the law. The bill has drawn sharp criticism from LGBT…
February 21, 2014 4:17 pm | By Paul Gordon

Will McCain and Flake Let GOP Obstruct AZ Nominees?

Next Thursday, the Senate Judiciary Committee is scheduled to vote on six district court nominees in Arizona. Odds are it won't happen. That's because delaying the committee vote is a small but reliably constant way that Senate Republicans delay and…
February 21, 2014 3:38 pm | By Alex Hart

Tom DeLay: Americans Have Forgotten That God Wrote The Constitution

This post originally appeared on our Right Wing Watch blog. As we noted earlier this year, Matthew Hagee has been hosting a weekly talk show called "The Difference" where he interviews people like Rick Santorum and now Tom DeLay, who…
February 21, 2014 3:38 pm | By Scott

Walker’s 2016 Presidential Hopes In Doubt After Email Dump

First Chris Christie, now Scott Walker – the future is not so bright for yet another 2016 GOP presidential hopeful after a revelation about questionable ethical conduct. Last month, New Jersey Governor Christie’s administration became embroiled in the now-infamous “Bridgegate”…
February 20, 2014 9:36 pm | By Paul Gordon

Burr’s Blue Slip Abuse Continues

North Carolina Sen. Richard Burr has been justly criticized for his obstruction of Jennifer May-Parker, a judicial nominee who he originally recommended to the White House back in 2009. If confirmed, May-Parker would become the first African American federal judge…
February 20, 2014 9:13 pm | By Jen Herrick

New Mexicans unite for marriage

December 2013 marked a southwestern step toward marriage equality nationwide when the New Mexico Supreme Court ruled unanimously that the state is required by its constitution to allow same-sex couples to marry. Today the state said no to dismantling that…
February 20, 2014 8:47 pm | By Alex Hart

Cruz: ‘Our Heart Weeps’ Due To Marriage Equality Gains

This post originally appeared on our Right Wing Watch blog. Texas Sen. Ted Cruz joined Family Research Council president Tony Perkins on Washington Watch on Thursday to discuss his proposed State Marriage Defense Act, which as we explained earlier would…
February 14, 2014 9:40 pm | By admin

Ending the Disenfranchisement of Formerly Incarcerated Americans

The following is a guest blog from Reverend Michael Couch, a member of People For the American Way’s African American Ministers In Action. On Tuesday, while speaking at the Georgetown University Law Center, Attorney General Eric Holder called for a…
February 14, 2014 4:09 pm | By Layne Amerikaner

Virginia Ban on Same-Sex Marriage Struck Down

On Thursday evening a federal judge ruled that Virginia’s ban on marriage for same-sex couples is unconstitutional. U.S. District Judge Arenda L. Wright Allen stayed the decision pending appeal, meaning that while the ban has been struck down, the ruling…
February 13, 2014 10:15 pm | By Paul Gordon

GOP Senators Fail to Support Their States’ Judicial Nominees

Because of Republican refusal to let Majority Leader Reid hold confirmation votes, there are 32 judicial nominations languishing on the Senate floor. They could be confirmed in a day, and even in a few minutes. But with Republicans filibustering all…
February 13, 2014 3:55 pm | By Paul Gordon

GOP Blockade of Unopposed Ark. Judicial Nominees Disrupts Local Election

Because of ongoing Republican obstruction, the Senate may be forced to take five weeks of its time to confirm 32 mostly unopposed judicial nominees ... all of whom could be confirmed in five minutes. Among those 32 are two from…
February 11, 2014 8:26 pm | By Ben Betz

Globalizing Homophobia: PFAW Member Telebriefing on the Far Right

As the world’s eyes turned to Russia for the Sochi Olympics, and for the increasingly anti-gay policies of the Putin government, People For the American Way Senior Fellow Peter Montgomery spoke with PFAW supporters on an activist teleconference about the…
February 11, 2014 7:10 pm | By Laura Williamson

PFAW Members Join Largest Civil Rights March in the South Since Selma

This Saturday, People For the American Way and affiliate People For the American Way Foundation’s Young People For members joined the estimated 80,000-100,000 progressives from across North Carolina and around the country in the biggest civil rights march in the…
News and Analysis

February 10, 2014 9:21 pm | By Sarah Lobe

Historic Nomination: Diane Humetewa Would Be First Native American Woman On Federal Bench

A historic nomination by President Obama is being considered by the Senate Judiciary Committee: Diane Humetewa is poised to become the first Native American woman on the federal judiciary. Humetewa is a highly qualified nominee with bipartisan support. She was…
February 10, 2014 6:56 pm | By Scott

Assault On Voting by Ohio GOP Ahead of November 2014 Elections

Ohio Republican legislators are up to their voter suppression tricks again, trying to limit absentee ballot registrations and restricting voting hours ahead of the November 2014 elections. The Columbus Dispatch reported Friday that GOP Rep. Mike Dovilla, Chairman of the…
February 10, 2014 5:37 pm | By Miranda Blue

The Senate Could Cut Judicial Nominations Backlog in Five Minutes…or Five Weeks

On January 13, the Senate confirmed Judge Robert Wilkins to sit on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. So far, despite a growing backlog of judicial nominees, he is the only judge to have been confirmed this…
February 7, 2014 4:06 pm | By Paul Gordon

While the GOP Fiddles, Judicial Emergencies Mount

The Administrative Office of United States Courts today announced that a vacancy in Michigan's Eastern District has been formally designated a judicial emergency. It's a good reminder that while Republicans refuse to provide the unanimous consent needed to schedule confirmation…