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July 16, 2014 3:38 pm | By Paul GordonSenate Corrects a 15-Year Old Injustice and Confirms Ronnie White
This afternoon, the Senate confirmed a federal judge for the Eastern District of Missouri. While the confirmation of a district court judge is not usually cause for headlines, this is an exception. In confirming Ronnie White, the Senate is finally…
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July 15, 2014 10:23 pm | By Scott
PFAW Action Fund Announces Young Elected Progressive Endorsements
People For the American Way Action Fund announced today the endorsements of a slate of dynamic young progressive candidates running for public office across the United States. The endorsees are a diverse mix of candidates 35 and under who are…
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July 15, 2014 8:46 pm | By Alex H.Sen. Joe Manchin Expresses his Support for Getting Money out of Politics
Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) is the latest politician to call out the negative impact big money has on the political process. In an interview this week with Public News Service, Senator Manchin said: I've watched people being afraid to make…
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July 14, 2014 6:39 pm | By BernarditaBarney Frank: This Year’s Midterm Elections Define Our Courts
In an op-ed printed in the Portland Press Herald this weekend, retired congressman Barney Frank offers a sharp critique of the far right Supreme Court under John Roberts. Explicitly noting the importance of the Court in defining law that affects…
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July 10, 2014 9:00 pm | By Jen HerrickWhen Will Marriage Equality Head Back to the Supreme Court?
As state and federal courts continue to issue marriage rulings, one question remains – when will marriage equality head back to the Supreme Court? We're getting closer to the answer. Late last month, a ruling by a three-judge panel of…
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July 10, 2014 8:30 pm | By Layne AmerikanerJudge Strikes Colorado Marriage Ban
If you’re having trouble keeping track of the rapidly falling state marriage bans, you’re likely not the only one. In the latest of a dizzying streak of pro-equality decisions, a judge in Colorado struck down the state’s same-sex marriage ban…
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July 10, 2014 2:15 pm | By Andrew GillumPFAWF Celebrates Confirmation of Julián Castro as U.S. HUD Secretary
Andrew Gillum is the Director of Youth Leadership Programs at People For the American Way Foundation. Julián Castro, current mayor of San Antonio, was just confirmed in the Senate by a 71-26 vote to lead the Housing and Urban Development…
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July 9, 2014 6:44 pm | By adminThe Supreme Court’s Attack on Working Women
The following is a guest blog by Beth Huang, 2010 Fellow of People For the American Way Foundation’s Young People For program. Last Monday, the Supreme Court ruled in two critical cases with major implications for working women. The Supreme…
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July 8, 2014 8:13 pm | By Alex H.Claire McCaskill Throws Her Support Behind Amendment to #GetMoneyOut
Yesterday, Missouri Sen. Claire McCaskill became the latest U.S. senator to cosponsor a proposed constitutional amendment that would give Congress and the states the authority to regulate campaign contributions and expenditures. An overwhelming majority of Americans, over 90%, want politicians to…
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July 8, 2014 5:04 pm | By BernarditaHobby Lobby, Wheaton College, and the Importance of Women Justices
Days after the Supreme Court handed down its damaging 5-4 decision in Burwell v. Hobby Lobby, SCOTUS issued an order that underscored the danger that Hobby Lobby poses for women’s health. In Wheaton College v. Burwell, SCOTUS temporarily granted relief…
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July 8, 2014 12:32 pm | By Ben BetzOrdinary Americans Not Getting a Fair Shake from Justice Samuel Alito — And They Know It
Share this: Lilly Ledbetter -- the plaintiff in the pay discrimination case Ledbetter v. Goodyear Tire and the inspiration for the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009 (the first bill President Obama signed into law) -- explains how it…
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July 7, 2014 7:58 pm | By Rio TazewellActivists Across the U.S. March, Rally, Perform Street Theater Calling for Amendment to #GetMoneyOut
Last week activists and concerned citizens across the country came together at the district offices of their senators to show support for a proposed amendment to the United States Constitution to curtail the influence of big money in politics. PFAW…
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July 7, 2014 4:43 pm | By AlexTed Cruz Taken Down by Famous Law Prof Ewrin Chemerinsky on Democracy Amendment
Noted constitutional law scholar Erwin Chemerinsky took to the op-ed page of The Hill last week to utterly dismantle Senator Ted Cruz's outlandish arguments against the proposed constitutional amendment to undo the consequences of decisions like Citizens United. In his…
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July 7, 2014 2:55 pm | By Peter MontgomerySamuel Alito: A Movement Man Makes Good on Right-Wing Investments
This post originally appeared on Huffington Post Politics. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito ended this Supreme Court session with a bang, writing the majority opinion in two cases that gave for-profit corporations the right to make religious liberty claims to…
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July 3, 2014 3:12 pm | By Paul GordonAnother Damaging Supreme Court Term
It is time to take part in the traditions of July 4 — celebrating our nation's independence, watching fireworks ... and, of course, taking stock at the end of the Supreme Court's term. As has become the norm, the Roberts…
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July 2, 2014 9:09 pm | By BernarditaHow the Shifting Cuban Vote Can Change History
The Pew Research Center reported last week that the partisan affiliations of Cuban Americans are shifting dramatically as the younger generation coming of age in the United States is affiliating with the Democratic party rather than the GOP. The shift…
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July 2, 2014 4:01 pm | By BernarditaUnpacking Hobby Lobby & Other SCOTUS Decisions: PFAW Member Telebriefing
Yesterday, People For the American Way members participated in a special telebriefing to discuss the Supreme Court term that wrapped up this Monday and to unpack some of the critical decisions handed down by the Court this year. The call,…
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July 1, 2014 6:12 pm | By Layne AmerikanerKentucky Marriage Ban Struck Down
Continuing the unbroken record of marriage equality wins since last year’s Supreme Court ruling against DOMA in the Windsor case, today a federal judge ruled unconstitutional Kentucky’s ban on marriage for same-sex couples. District Judge John G. Heyburn II wrote:…
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June 30, 2014 9:34 pm | By Elliot MincbergHow the Hobby Lobby Majority Distorted RFRA — and Why That’s Dangerous for All Americans
In its 5-4 ruling today in Hobby Lobby, the Supreme Court’s right-wing majority played fast and loose with the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA), the law that provided the basis for the claim that religious liberty rights conflicted with the…
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June 30, 2014 8:54 pm | By Paul GordonAlito Leads Latest Attack on Unions
As soon as the Chief Justice announced today that Samuel Alito had written the opinion in the labor rights case Harris v. Quinn, Americans knew it would be a bad day for working people. The case involved home-care workers who…