In 2023, the Supreme Court took a sledgehammer to our rights. 

This term, the far-right justices on the Supreme Court took just long enough of a break from yachting around with billionaires to launch a series of attacks on our rights. They ended affirmative action in higher education, created a constitutional right to discriminate against LGBTQ+ people, struck down student debt relief, removed millions of acres of wetlands from the protection of the Clean Water Act, and undermined organized labor. 

If you’re one of the billionaires footing the bill for these yacht trips, it was a great term. For the rest of us, it was pretty bleak. 

But this fight isn’t over. There’s a lot we can do right now to protect our rights and take back our courts from far-right extremists. 

Here’s the takeaway.  This Supreme Court term was rough for most of us – and showed us why we need to take back our courts.  Sign the petition today to call on your senators to confirm good judges to our lower courts! Add your name!

The Breakdown: What the Supreme Court said this session 

We’ve broken down the big points from some of the major cases from the 2022-2023 Supreme Court term. Here are the highlights – and you can click on the headings for more information. 

SCOTUS Strikes Down Affirmative Action in Universities

Despite the fact that pre-Trump iterations of the Supreme Court had repeatedly upheld affirmative action programs, the Roberts Court struck them down. Apparently, the far-right majority on this court believes that only the kids of alumni, Supreme Court justices, and their families deserve an assist when it comes to accessing a quality education. 

The conservative majority claimed that affirmative action programs are “harmful discrimination.” But Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson made it perfectly clear what the Court was putting at risk in her dissent: 

With let-them-eat-cake obliviousness, today, the majority pulls the ripcord and announces “colorblindness for all” by legal fiat. But deeming race irrelevant in law does not make it so in life. 

You can read more about the case here. 

The Supreme Court Used a Fake Case to Create a Very Real Path to Discrimination Against LGBTQ+ People 

A Colorado business owner really wanted to be able to tell LGBTQ+ people that she didn’t have to design wedding websites for them – even though it’s looking pretty clear that no one ever asked her to. By ruling in her favor, the Supreme Court has weaponized the First Amendment to allow businesses to discriminate against LGBTQ+ couples – and the impacts could be felt by multiple marginalized communities. 

As Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote in her dissent, “for the first time in its history,” the Court was granting a business open to the public the “constitutional right to refuse to serve members of a protected class.” 

You can read more about the case here. 

Court Majority Saddles Millions with Crushing Student Loan Debt 

In a 6-3 ruling, the Supreme Court’s far-right majority struck down the Biden administration’s forgiveness of student debt for lower-income borrowers. The decision by the six far-right justices immediately saddled 43 million people with debt that the elected branches of government opted to relieve them of. And – shocker – the people hurt most by this will be Black and brown students.

You can read more about the case here. 

But wait, there’s more.

Get the details on how the Supreme Court ruled this term on environmental protections, the rights of Native American families, and the rights of workers in our 2022-2023 end of term report. 

It’s time to take back our courts. 

Here’s the thing: the Supreme Court gets A LOT of public attention, and for obvious reasons. But the lower courts  – and the judges who sit on them – have arguably a bigger impact on our lives than the Supreme Court does. 

For one, the Supreme Court only hears between 1-2% of the cases that are appealed to it every year. That means thousands of cases are left in the hands of federal appeals court judges across the country. And when the Supreme Court does rule on a case, it’s left to those same lower court judges to figure out how to interpret and apply those rulings. 

So if we really want to make a difference in our justice system, we don’t just need more great Supreme Court justices like Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson. We need more great lower court judges like Dale Ho, Nancy Abudu, and Julie Rikelman. 

Here’s what you can do. 

There are still dozens of vacancies across the country waiting to be filled with fair-minded judges who will work for all of us – not just the wealthy and powerful. And we can’t forget that we have a voice in this process. Our senators – and the White House – need to hear from us now. 

 

	Sign the petition.  Add your name and tell your senators: we’re counting on you to vote yes on fair-minded judges.  Add your name!
	Call your senators. Take it one step further: Call your senators at (202) 224-3121 and tell them it’s time to prioritize confirming fair-minded judges.
	Contact the White House. We need the White House to put up fair-minded nominees for every single judicial vacancy. Get in touch with the White House today! Add your name!
	Help fix the blue slip.  Add your name and tell your senators: we’re counting on you to vote yes on fair-minded judges.  Add your name!
	Share the word on social media. Your friends and family need to hear from you! Help us spread the word on social media about the fight for fair courts. Post on social media with the hashtag #CourtsMatter and tag us at @peoplefor on Twitter and @peoplefor_ on Instagram and Threads so we can amplify you!

2024 is just around the corner 

If we want to make big changes – like reforming the Supreme Court, protecting our rights at the local level, and continuing to put good judges on the federal bench – we need to pay attention to elections at every level of government.

People For the American Way, a national progressive advocacy organization, inspires and mobilizes community and cultural leaders to advance Truth, Justice and the American Way. We convene courageous Americans, produce compelling media and organize campaigns to defend our democracy from authoritarian threats and advance America’s promise that everyone will enjoy freedom, safety and a vote that counts.

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