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April 11, 2014 4:22 pm | By Layne AmerikanerOn the Day of Silence, Check Out PFAW’s New Safe Schools Policy Toolkit
Today is the Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network’s Day of Silence, an event meant to bring attention to the “silencing effect” of anti-LGBT bullying and harassment in schools. In classrooms across the country, thousands of young people will stay…
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April 10, 2014 10:35 pm | By Paul GordonSo Many Vacancies, So Little Cooperation from GOP Senators
President Obama has had a lot more vacancies to fill in our nation's judiciary than George W. Bush had at this point in his presidency. Unfortunately, due to obstructionism from the GOP, that has resulted in a large number of…
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April 10, 2014 9:22 pm | ByIn the Senate, Michelle Friedland’s Nomination to 9th Circuit Advances Despite Continued GOP Obstruction
Today, the Senate voted to advance the nomination of Michelle Friedland to the 9th Circuit. Friedland was one of many superb, highly qualified judges caught up in Republicans' blanket obstruction of judicial nominees, and President Obama was forced to re-nominate…
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April 10, 2014 9:17 pm | By Paul GordonObama’s Had a Lot More Judicial Vacancies to Fill than Bush Did
Politico had a headline a few days ago proclaiming that “Obama [is] now Outpacing George W. Bush on judges.” The key take-away was that Obama has had a few more judges confirmed than Bush had at the same point in…
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April 8, 2014 9:28 pm | By BernarditaBlue Slips: Republicans Should Stop Abuse of Consultation Process
In an op-ed Sunday, Sen. Patrick Leahy, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, addressed critics of his use of blue slips, a committee tradition that Republicans continue to abuse. Under this policy, the chairman asks the Senators from a nominee’s…
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April 7, 2014 5:40 pm | By Peter MontgomerySupreme Court Declines to Review New Mexico Rejection of Wedding Photographer Case
The U.S. Supreme Court today rejected a request to consider Elane Photography v. Willock, a case brought by a wedding photography business that had been penalized for violating a New Mexico law against discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.…
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April 7, 2014 1:57 pm | By Layne AmerikanerYEO Leads Fight Against ‘Right to Discriminate’ Law in Mississippi
In the wake of the recent uproar about an expansive “right to discriminate” bill that was vetoed in Arizona, on Thursday Mississippi governor Phil Bryant quietly signed similar legislation, the so-called Mississippi Religious Freedom Restoration Act, into law. Mississippi State…
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April 4, 2014 10:12 pm | By Jen HerrickAfrican American Ministers in Action Featured This Week in Safe Schools Letter Campaign
The letter-a-day campaign for safe schools that PFAW is leading just finished another week, and now twenty groups have gone on record with Congress in support of safe schools legislation. Together, we are sending loud and clear the message that…
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April 4, 2014 9:26 pm | By Paul Gordon
Jamie Raskin and Marge Baker Unpack the McCutcheon Case
Two days after the Supreme Court issued its ruling in McCutcheon v. FEC, PFAW Senior Fellow Jamie Raskin and Executive Vice President Marge Baker held a telebriefing with PFAW members to discuss the case – and what Americans can do…
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April 4, 2014 9:05 pm | By Paul Gordon
Applying McCutcheon’s Logic to Voter ID Laws
The Chief Justice's opinion in McCutcheon v. FEC striking down aggregate campaign contribution limits dismisses several scenarios put forward to describe how funds can be rerouted to bypass the existing base limits on contributions: The dissent concludes by citing three…
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April 4, 2014 1:53 pm | By Peter Montgomery
Postcard from Arizona to John Roberts: Money Corrupts
In a week in which the Supreme Court turned a blind eye to the reality of money corrupting politics, a story out of Arizona provides a clear example of the insidious influence of the private prison industry and its campaign…
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April 3, 2014 2:52 pm | By Jen HerrickVoting Rights – We Can Win
The New York Times and NPR recently shared somewhat different takes on where voting rights stand now and what the picture might look like come Election Day 2014. It is true, as suggested by The Times: Pivotal swing states under…
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April 2, 2014 9:21 pm | By Calvin SloanMcCutcheon v. FEC Response Rally Hosted by People For The American Way at the Supreme Court
Within hours of the Supreme Court issuing its decision in McCutcheon v. FEC, People For the American Way organized a rapid response protest, the first of over 140 that are taking place across the country today. The protest featured key…
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April 2, 2014 7:47 pm | By Paul GordonIn McCutcheon Decision, Talk of Constituents Seems Out of Place
Chief Justice Roberts caps his opinion in McCutcheon v. FEC by waxing eloquently about the need to ensure that elected officials are responsive to the people. This and other cases have described campaign contributions as a way to promote such…
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April 2, 2014 6:41 pm | By Paul GordonSupreme Court’s McCutcheon Decision is Great News for Billionaires
The Supreme Court's McCutcheon opinion, released this morning, is another 5-4 body blow to our democracy. To justify striking down limits that cap aggregate campaign contributions during a single election cycle, the Roberts Court ignores the way the world really…
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April 1, 2014 8:37 pm | By Jen HerrickFair Housing for LGBT People Rejected in Louisiana
On March 31, the day before the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) marked the beginning of Fair Housing Month, Louisiana lawmakers said "no" to affording greater protections for LGBT people under state housing discrimination law. Under current…
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March 31, 2014 6:48 pm | By Jen HerrickSafe Schools Letter Campaign Wraps Another Week, Twelve Groups Have Gone on Record
The letter-a-day campaign for safe schools that PFAW is leading just finished another week, and now twelve groups have gone on record with Congress in support of safe schools legislation. Together, we are sending loud and clear the message that…
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March 31, 2014 5:41 pm | By Layne Amerikaner
PFAW Releases New Policy Toolkit on Safe Schools
For too many students, school is not a safe place. More than six in ten LGBT students have felt unsafe at school because of their sexual orientation and more than four in ten because of their gender expression. Losing their…
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March 28, 2014 8:30 pm | By Jen HerrickFlorida Puts Hold on Voter Purge, North Carolina Lifts the Veil on Voter ID Law
When we last checked in with the controversial Florida voter purge, advocates and media alike were speculating over what route Governor Rick Scott and Secretary of State Ken Detzner would take in 2014, with Detzner's office considering comparing its voter…
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March 28, 2014 7:20 pm | By Scott
Scott Walker Signs Restrictive Voting Measures, Promptly Jets Off to Kiss Sheldon Adelson’s Ring
Despite vocal opposition from voters across Wisconsin, Republican state legislators last week passed several new voting restrictions at the end of the legislative session. The measures restrict early absentee voting hours to Mon-Fri 8am-7pm and eliminate weekend voting, restrict voting…