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November 28, 2012 8:58 pm | By Harrison
Congressional Hispanic Caucus Supports LGBT-Inclusive Immigration Reform
The Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) today released their framework for immigration reform. One Nation: Principles on Immigration Reform and Our Commitment to the American Dream addresses a number of key principles and constituencies. Section 2 explicitly covers bi-national, same-sex couples,…
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November 26, 2012 9:43 pm | By Paul Gordon
GOP Bad Faith on the Pace of Confirmations
Last March, after three years of non-stop partisan obstruction of President Obama's judicial nominees, Senate Majority Harry Reid filed cloture petitions to end the Republicans' unprecedented filibuster of 17 district court nominees. Under public pressure, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell…
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November 21, 2012 6:16 pm | By Calvin Sloan
Pushing Back on Citizens United With Art
The results of a recent PFAW and unPAC produced art contest are in: a panel of experts (including such luminaries as Shepard Fairey, designer of the famous 2008 ‘Hope’ poster and Jesse Dylan, creator of the ‘Yes We Can’ music…
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November 21, 2012 4:06 pm | By Paul Gordon
Florida Federal Judge: We Need More Judges!
The judicial vacancy crisis has gotten so bad in Florida that the chief judge of the Middle District is warning her colleagues that they may soon have fewer active judges than senior judges (older, semi-retired judges often with a reduced…
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November 16, 2012 8:33 pm | By Miranda Blue
This is How Judicial Nominations are Supposed to Work
President Obama will end his second term with more vacancies on the federal courts than there were when he started. Today there are 99 vacancies on the federal circuit and district courts, 33 of which are for courts that are…
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November 16, 2012 3:54 pm | By Layne Amerikaner
A First Swing at Fixing the Broken Election System
If you were casting a ballot in South Carolina last Tuesday, your wait to vote may have been four hours. In Florida, it might have been seven. If you were voting in Hawaii, you may have gone to one of…
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November 15, 2012 4:09 pm | By Miranda Blue
Is That Bryan Fischer or Mitt Romney?
Earlier this week, PFAW’s Right Wing Watch caught this rant by American Family spokesman and all-purpose bigot Bryan Fischer, who declared on his radio program that American Latinos voted Democratic in record numbers this year because “they want big government…
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November 15, 2012 3:28 pm | By Paul Gordon
President Obama Continues to Diversify the Federal Bench
Yesterday, President Obama nominated seven people to fill seats on our nation's federal district courts. While Senate Republicans have been busy finding new ways to obstruct (and new ways to dissemble to cover up their obstruction), the White House has…
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November 15, 2012 2:52 pm | By Paul Gordon
Lame Duck – Time to Confirm All the Pending Nominees
For the entirety of President Obama's first term, the GOP has grossly abused Senate rules in order to stymie his every initiative, including addressing our nation's courtroom vacancy crisis. Under Senate rules, you need unanimous consent to schedule a confirmation…
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November 13, 2012 10:53 pm | By Harrison
Reported Voting Troubles
Despite the concerted efforts by conservative legislators to suppress voters’ rights throughout 2011 and 2012 using a number of tactics in the supposed interest to combat voter fraud, millions of Americans took time last week to cast their vote on…
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November 9, 2012 10:30 pm | By Paul Gordon
Supreme Court to Review Voting Rights Act
The Supreme Court announced today that it will accept a case arguing that Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act is unconstitutional: Shelby County v. Holder. Given the hostility of the Roberts Court's conservatives to voting rights and minority rights,…
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November 9, 2012 8:13 pm | By Harrison
Minnesotans Reject Voter ID
Earlier this year, the Minnesota state legislature passed SF 509, requiring photo ID at the polls. Governor Mark Dayton vetoed the bill, but proponents led by ALEC State Chairwoman Mary Kiffmeyer managed to bypass him by pushing through a constitutional…
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November 8, 2012 10:59 pm | By
Election Is Mandate for Policies Grounded in Progressive American Values
One of the few things that Barack Obama and Mitt Romney agreed on during the campaign for the presidency was that this election was a choice between two very different visions of America, two very different directions for our country's…
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November 7, 2012 10:41 pm | By Paul Gordon
A Critical Victory in Montana
Montana's Democratic Attorney General Steve Bullock has been declared victor in his race to become that state's governor. Bullock has been making quite a name for himself in the past year as he crusades to prevent the destruction of his…
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November 7, 2012 7:31 pm | By Paul Gordon
The Election Gives Obama a Mandate on the Supreme Court
The importance of the Supreme Court as an election issue – which was clearly predicted by pre-election polls – made itself clear in President Obama's overwhelming victory last night. Americans recognized that Mitt Romney would have driven the Court even…
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November 7, 2012 6:29 pm | By Paul Gordon
Dangerous Amendments Defeated in Florida
While the most visible manifestations of yesterday's national repudiation of the far right were President Obama's reelection, Republican losses in the U.S. Senate, and the success of marriage equality at the ballot box, there were other important victories that deserve…
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November 6, 2012 7:24 pm | By Harrison
Endorsements Cite Supreme Court
As we await the results of today's elections, it is important to remember that the next president will likely be able to nominate multiple Supreme Court Justices which could cause dramatic shifts in the ideological make-up of the Court. Do…
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November 6, 2012 4:14 pm | By Layne Amerikaner
PFAWF Supports Young People, Communities of Color in Getting Out the Vote This Election Day
Whether by reaching out to people of color, young people, women, or other key communities, People For the American Way Foundation has been on the ground all across the country these past few weeks getting out the vote. The VESSELS…
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November 2, 2012 8:04 pm | By Paul Gordon
New Analysis Shines a Light on 2012 Election Spending
As we head into the last weekend before the presidential election, U.S. PIRG and Demos have released an analysis of outside spending up to last week. The quick take-away: Secret and wealthy donors are drowning out the rest of us…
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November 1, 2012 9:39 pm | By Harrison
Importance of the Supreme Court in the Upcoming Election
As Election Day approaches, voters need to keep in mind one of the most important powers given to a president: the ability to nominate Supreme Court Justices. Judicial nominations take even more precedence in this election due to the fact…