ON ANNIVERSARIES OF ABORTION, VOTING RIGHTS, GUN SAFETY RULINGS, UNITED FOR DEMOCRACY COALITION CALLS FOR CONGRESSIONAL ACTION TO REIN IN THE EXTREME SUPREME COURT
Washington, D.C. – This weekend marks the anniversaries of three Supreme Court decisions, Shelby County v. Holder, Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, and New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen, each of which had devastating impacts on Americans’ rights and freedoms.
Stasha Rhodes, Campaign Director of United for Democracy, issued the following statement recognizing the outsized power of today’s extreme Supreme Court and the need for Congressional action to check its power:
“This weekend marks the anniversaries of three recent Supreme Court decisions in which a small, right-wing minority imposed its own extreme agenda on the rest of our country. A decade ago in Shelby v. Holder, the justices gutted crucial provisions in the landmark Voting Rights Act, empowering right-wing politicians to push through hundreds of voter suppression bills aimed at silencing voters of color. Last year, in Dobbs v. Jackson, the constitutional right to abortion disappeared overnight, putting lives at risk, triggering abortion bans in states nationwide, and opening the door to a national abortion ban. In New York State Rifle & Pistol Association Inc. v. Bruen, the Supreme Court sided with the gun lobby and gave the green light to guns in our streets.
“These three rulings defied legal precedent, our Constitution, and the values of the vast majority of Americans. Their end result is a United States in which Americans’ freedoms to be heard at the ballot box, to access our health care, and to live safely in their communities, are in danger.
“For far too long, the power of the Supreme Court has gone unquestioned and unchecked, and increasingly, our communities are paying the price. Our country needs a Court that is committed to the ideals of justice, fairness, and equality, rather than being bogged down in scandals and swayed by powerful special interests. United for Democracy will continue to call on Congress to take action and rein in the extreme Supreme Court.”
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United for Democracy is a diverse and growing coalition of more than 100 grassroots organizations, labor unions, and advocates for reproductive rights, gun violence prevention, the environment, workers’ rights and more, all representing tens of millions of Americans. The new nationwide campaign launched to educate Americans about the impact today’s Supreme Court is having on their lives, freedoms, and democracy — and call on Congress to rein in its unchecked powers.