Blog
All Blogs
-
March 7, 2012 4:52 pm | By Paul Gordon
Another Empty Courtroom
A few days ago, Judge Valerie Baker Fairbank in the Central District of California took senior status, opening up yet another judicial vacancy in California: its thirteenth. The Central District alone has three current vacancies, with a fourth one set…
-
March 6, 2012 11:10 pm | By Jen Herrick
Voter ID challenges moving forward in Wisconsin
Last May, Wisconsin Governor and ALEC Alum Scott Walker signed Act 23 (aka AB 7), a voter ID law which also counts ALEC affiliated legislators among its sponsors. Groups challenging this legislation have a long road ahead of them, but…
-
March 6, 2012 10:40 pm | By Lara Bergthold
Rick Santorum’s Latest Target — Single Moms
This post originally appeared in the Huffington Post. I am a single parent. According to the right, I am also a leech on society and pose a danger to my own son. A new bill proposed by a Republican state…
-
March 6, 2012 10:32 pm | By
Who’s Sorry Now? The Republican Art of the Non-Apology
This post originally appeared in the Huffington Post. Ralph Reed reached out to Rush Limbaugh via Twitter yesterday and accepted his apology. "Apology accepted. Let's move on," he said -- a magnanimous gesture had Rush Limbaugh actually apologized to Ralph…
-
March 6, 2012 8:05 pm | By Paul Gordon
Empty Courtrooms, Empty Gestures
The Senate began its proceedings today with 20 highly qualified judicial nominees waiting for a floor vote, most of them completely unopposed in committee yet languishing on the floor for over three months. Eleven would restore justice to empty courtrooms…
-
March 6, 2012 7:02 pm | By Paul Gordon
Court Official – “I Just Don’t See an End to Our Backlog”
The Memphis Commercial Appeal offers a window into how one state is impacted by the courtroom vacancy crisis. With federal caseloads growing, a vacant seat on the bench and no relief in sight, local court officials are calling in the…
-
March 6, 2012 5:15 pm | By Justin
Super-PAC Tuesday
Ten states are holding primaries and caucuses today, earning March 6th the title of “Super Tuesday.” Participants will show up, cast their vote, and hopefully feel good for participating in the democratic process and fulfilling their civic duty. But thanks…
-
March 6, 2012 3:20 pm | By Justin
NYT Echoes PFAW’s Call for Judge Cebull’s Resignation
The New York Times echoes PFAW President Michael Keegan’s call for Federal District Court Judge Richard Cebull’s resignation in an editorial published today. Cebull, who admitted sending a racist, sexist email about President Obama’s late mother, has apologized and referred…
-
March 5, 2012 7:32 pm | By Miranda Blue
Senate Obstruction Continues: The Chart
Last week, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid told Politico that he plans to push forward on filling the federal courts, despite unprecedented Republican obstructionism. Here is what Americans who value the courts are up against: Despite a vacancy crisis in…
-
March 5, 2012 6:53 pm | By Jen Herrick
Prop 8 Makes Its Stage Debut
Dustin Lance Black, the writer behind J. Edgar and Oscar winner for Milk, is bringing the story of California’s Proposition 8 to the stage. Black’s 8 had its Broadway premiere on September 19, 2011: And debuted in Los Angeles this…
-
March 5, 2012 5:28 pm | By JustinRomney Adds Ashcroft to List of Extreme Advisers
More mainstays of the Republican establishment announced their endorsement of Mitt Romney over the weekend. However, it’s not just the current faces of the party like House Majority Leader Eric Cantor and Senator Tom Coburn who have tipped their hats;…
-
March 5, 2012 3:33 pm | By
Blinded by the Hate: The Real Problem With Judge Cebull’s Email
This post originally appeared in the Huffington Post. Earlier this week a Great Falls Tribune reporter found something startling in his inbox: a shockingly racist and misogynistic email forwarded from the most powerful federal judge in Montana, which "joked" that…
-
March 2, 2012 11:07 pm | By Justin
Minnesotans Soul Search on Marriage Equality
On a hunch that voters are more influenced by their own experience rather than a birrage of big-budget advertising on the issue of marriage equality, Minnesota Public Radio put together an excellent miniseries asking Minnesotans to share their stories about how…
-
March 2, 2012 10:15 pm | By Jen Herrick
Minnesota fighting the voting rights battle on multiple fronts
Minnesota is currently fighting voting rights battles on multiple fronts, including voter ID and same-day registration. The voter ID battle began last session when the state legislature passed SF 509, legislation requiring photo ID. Following Governor Dayton’s veto, supporters vowed…
-
March 2, 2012 7:48 pm | By Jen Herrick
Ohio University Students Standing on the Side of Love
I left Ohio University almost eight years ago, but I’ve found that my work life and my college life still have something in common. That was true this morning when I came across this article in the Athens News. Ratio…
-
March 2, 2012 6:54 pm | By Justin
PFAW’s Peter Montgomery: Republicans Using ‘Religious Liberty’ to Attack Obama, Women’s Health
Attacking President Obama for his supposed “hostility” to religious liberty is the tactic du jour for congressional Republicans, according to a new piece in the Huffington Post by PFAW Senior Fellow Peter Montgomery. After a widely-mocked hearing before the House…
-
March 2, 2012 6:12 pm | By Paul Gordon
Fighting For Fair and Just Courts
Americans look to our courts as a place where they can protect their rights, where giant corporate interests won't be favored as they so often are in other parts of society. Courts make sure that we are protected from businesses…
-
March 1, 2012 10:40 pm | By Justin
Senate Rejects Blunt Amendment, Romney Disappointed?
In a 51-48 vote today, the Senate rejected an amendment to the transportation bill by Missouri Sen. Roy Blunt that would have allowed employers to deny their employees health insurance coverage for any treatment for any reason. “The Blunt amendment…
-
March 1, 2012 3:57 pm | By Miranda Blue
Ithaca Mayor, Member of PFAWF’s Young Elected Officials Network, Tells His Story on Rock Center
People For the American Way Foundation’s Young Elected Officials Network supports the work of over 600 young, progressive elected officials around the country. One of them, 24-year-old Ithaca, New York mayor Svante Myrick told his story on NBC’s Rock Center…
-
February 29, 2012 11:44 pm | By Paul Gordon
Senate GOP – “Ignore What We Said Before”
A number of U.S. senators have been expressing their deep concern about the damage being done to our nation by GOP partisan obstruction of judicial nominees. Yesterday, Sen. Tom Udall of New Mexico pointed out that when Republicans controlled the…