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February 27, 2009 3:36 pm | By Willard
Remembering Barbara Jordan
Every February, People For the American Way, along with the rest of the country, celebrates Black History Month. And this year, more than ever, it's humbling to see just how far our nation has moved. And how far we still…
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February 26, 2009 10:31 pm | By Willard
Justice Stevens moderates panel on Marbury v. Madison
Today, at an event sponsored by the First Amendment Center and the Supreme Court Fellows Program Alumni Association, Justice John Paul Stevens, the Senior Associate on the Supreme Court, moderated a discussion with the authors of a new book, The…
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February 26, 2009 6:12 pm | By Marge Baker
The GOP as the Party of No
I just came back from an executive meeting of the Senate Judiciary Committee where once again the Republicans are demonstrating a reflexive and not very wise strategy of just saying NO. Senator Leahy, chair of the Committee was trying to…
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February 24, 2009 10:16 pm | By Jen Herrick
DC has a 200-year long line at the polls…but not for long
Long lines at the polls on Election Day are a problem not to be ignored. But imagine if you had been standing in line to vote since 1801. That’s where you’ll find the nearly 600,000 Americans living in DC. Thankfully,…
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February 20, 2009 5:43 pm | By Willard
The Obstruction Strategy
On Wednesday night, I was thrilled to represent People For the American Way members and activists at a small White House reception. When meeting the President and First Lady, as well as Vice President Biden and his wife Jill, it…
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February 13, 2009 11:08 pm | By Drew Courtney
News From Newark
Readers of blogs like Towleroad and GayPolitics may have come across a story this week about Newark, Delaware City Councilman Ezra Temko, who pushed anti-discrimination legislation through the council, and came out in the process. What you might not have…
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February 13, 2009 9:15 pm | By Paul Gordon
Hardly the End of DOMA.
Late last week, you may have seen headlines about a federal judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit who ruled the Defense of Marriage Act unconstitutional. For anyone in favor of equal justice under law (and…
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February 13, 2009 6:00 am | By Willard
Rumors of their death…
Even before November's election, gallons of ink were being spilled to report the demise of the Religious Right. But, as Mark Twain might have said, rumors of the Right's death have been greatly exaggerated. A small incident that was mostly…
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February 12, 2009 10:30 pm | By Ben Betz
Best Post on Glenn Beck Ever.
I can't do it justice with a synopsis. Click and read:To attack Obama's New Deal, Beck invokes Henry Ford -- the Nazis' friendBy David Neiwert at Crooks and Liars
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February 11, 2009 12:28 am | By Stacey Gates
Solicitor General Nominee Elena Kagan Sails Through Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing
Pres. Obama’s Solicitor General nominee and Harvard Law School Dean Elena Kagan went before the Senate Judiciary Committee today and anyone looking for fireworks was certainly disappointed – committee Republicans held their fire. That’s probably due in part to the…
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February 6, 2009 7:21 pm | By Ben Betz
Dealing With the Right’s Big Lies
We here at People For have been making the case since the November elections that even though the results were devastating for the Republican Party, they actually strengthened the Radical Right and increased its influence within the GOP. Republicans in…
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February 6, 2009 6:01 pm | By Willard
Restoring Justice, Step by Step
On Monday, Eric Holder was confirmed as Attorney General. Big news ... and good news for Americans who depend on the Justice Department to defend their rights. A bit more under the radar, Monday also saw another important piece of…
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February 4, 2009 8:45 pm | By Marge Baker
Mark Gitenstein for Office of Legal Policy
I’ve seen some concerns expressed about the possible nomination of Mark Gitenstein to head the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Policy, including questions about whether he’s sufficiently committed to protecting the rule of law to serve in the position at…
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January 30, 2009 6:13 pm | By Willard
New Rasmussen Supreme Court Poll: Garbage In, Garbage Out
This week, right-wing polling firm Rasmussen Reports heralded a new poll which supposedly revealed that 64% of Americans think that "Supreme Court decisions should be based on what is written in the Constitution," whereas only 27% think the decisions "should…
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January 30, 2009 6:00 am | By Willard
Executive privilege for Rove?
This was an exciting week. Our efforts to prevent the Right from building Senate opposition against Attorney General-nominee Eric Holder paid off and his nomination was approved by a 17-2 vote in the Senate Judiciary Committee. And yesterday President Obama…
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January 29, 2009 6:40 pm | By Willard
Energized and ready to pave the way
In President Obama's first few days in office, he has already undone some serious damage from the previous administration with the stroke of a pen. He signed orders to close Guantanamo and the CIA's network of secret foreign prisons. And…
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January 22, 2009 6:09 pm | By Paul Gordon
Obama’s Civil Rights Agenda: LGBT Equality
With George Bush and Dick Cheney finally out of power, our country is returning to its ideals so quickly and in so many ways that it’s dizzying. Recognizing the rule of law? Check. Following the Constitution? Check. Keeping politics out…
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January 16, 2009 8:18 pm | By Ben Betz
Gay but Equal?
By MARY FRANCES BERRY (From the January 16, 2009 edition of the New York Times) AS the country prepares to enter the Obama era, anxiety over the legal status and rights of gays and lesbians is growing. Barack Obama's invitation to the…
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January 16, 2009 3:46 pm | By Willard
It’s Our Moment, Let’s Make the Most of It!
This Tuesday marks what I hope will be the beginning of a dramatic new direction for our country. The relevance of President-elect Obama's inauguration falling one day after Martin Luther King, Jr. Day is not lost on any of us.…
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January 9, 2009 11:11 pm | By Stacey Gates
Breaking News: Two Pay Equity Bills Pass the House
Workers seeking to bring pay discrimination lawsuits against corporations scored a huge victory today as the House of Representatives passed two key pay equity bills: the Ledbetter Fair Pay Act and Paycheck Fairness Act. Lilly Ledbetter received an anonymous…