WASHINGTON, D.C. (July 15, 2024) – Free Speech For Folks, Indivisible, Ladies’s March, and Cash Out Voters In have launched a Week of Motion urging Congress to analyze corruption on the Supreme Court docket.
Investigative reporting from ProPublica has uncovered that at the very least two justices have accepted a whole lot of 1000’s of {dollars} in presents from billionaires. In his place as an Affiliate Justice of the Supreme Court docket of the USA, Justice Thomas has, over the course of a few years, accepted and did not disclose his receipt of a whole lot of 1000’s of {dollars} in presents and different monetary advantages from Harlan Crow – the Republican billionaire and activist whose organizations commonly file briefs within the Supreme Court docket advocating positions that Thomas reliably adopts. Thomas has additionally refused to recuse himself from issues earlier than the Court docket by which his spouse had an curiosity, together with makes an attempt to overthrow the outcomes of the 2020 presidential election.
Justice Alito, along with accepting and failing to reveal lavish presents from conservative donors, displayed symbols of the January sixth rebellion exterior his properties. The New York Instances reported an upside-down American flag, an emblem of the “Cease the Steal” motion, flew exterior the Alitos’ main residence after the 2020 election. Chief Justice Roberts was reportedly conscious of the flying of this insurrectionist flag exterior Justice Alito’s main residence on the time that it occurred and whereas the Supreme Court docket was contemplating a case introduced by Donald Trump alleging false claims of fraud within the 2020 presidential election. A second Alito house flew an “Enchantment to Heaven” flag, an emblem of Christian nationalism, in 2023. Like Justice Thomas, Justice Alito did not recuse himself from circumstances earlier than the Court docket associated to the 2020 election and the January sixth rebellion.
This rampant corruption and lack of moral requirements displayed by Supreme Court docket justices have been straight linked to Court docket selections which have disproportionately harmed susceptible communities in recent times, most notably overturning a 50-year precedent establishing the proper to decide on in its 2022 resolution in Dobbs v. Jackson Ladies’s Well being Group. Different Court docket rulings have opened the door to racial and LGBTQ+ discrimination, favored company pursuits over these of the general public, and twisted freedom of faith right into a license for Christian nationalists to discriminate in opposition to disfavored minorities.
The organizations are demanding that Congress take a number of steps to carry the Supreme Court docket accountable. These embrace holding public hearings to reveal corruption on the Supreme Court docket; issuing subpoenas the place vital, together with subpoenas of Supreme Court docket Justices Alito, Roberts, and Thomas; and exposing the battle of curiosity in circumstances associated to the January sixth rebellion.
“Our democracy faces a grave disaster with the Supreme Court docket mired in corruption and undue affect. However Congress is just not helpless. We’d like them to do their job: maintain these billionaire-bought judges accountable and move significant court docket reform. This begins with Senator Dick Durbin. It’s his accountability as Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee to deal with the rampant corruption on the Supreme Court docket,” stated Alexandra Flores-Quilty, Marketing campaign Director of Free Speech For Folks.
“For months, native Indivisible leaders have been ringing the alarm bells about this corrupt and overreaching Supreme Court docket. They’ve been pushing Judiciary Committee Chair Dick Durbin to do his rattling job and maintain these justices accountable earlier than it’s too late. Now, as our democracy is getting ready to collapse, Durbin and his fellow Democrats should rise to the problem. Take swift motion, maintain hearings, provoke investigations, subject subpoenas, and display to the American those who Democrats take democracy critically. Voters need decisive management, and now could be the time to supply it,” stated Ezra Levin, co-founder and co-executive director of Indivisible.
“The Supreme Court docket’s flagrant and appalling corruption is an ongoing risk to American democracy. Chief Justice Roberts has proven no urge for food for addressing the disaster he has allowed to metastasize inside his Court docket. We the Folks don’t have any recourse nor company to make calls for of unelected, lifetime appointees to the Supreme Court docket. All we now have are our elected representatives in Congress who’re tasked with overseeing the judicial department. Senator Durbin, Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, should train his oversight obligation to carry hearings, subject subpoenas, and implement these subpoenas. The American individuals deserve a full airing of the breaches of legislation and ethics in our nation’s highest court docket. Senator Durbin should rise to this event. His nation wants him,” shelp Michele Sutter, President of MOVI, Cash Out Voters In.
“The Supreme Court docket is uncontrolled and its long gone time that Congress act to supply a test on this rogue department of presidency. Because it if wasn’t dangerous sufficient {that a} cabal of right-wing zealots stole a Supreme Court docket seat to put in extremists to the bench, it’s now all too clear that at the very least two of these justices – Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas – are on the take and promoting out the Structure to billionaires and their partisan political ideologies. The American individuals deserve higher. We need to have a Supreme Court docket that displays our values and respects the rule of legislation. With Chief Justice Roberts failing to behave, Congress should.” defined Rachel O’Leary Carmona, govt director at Ladies’s March.
The Week of Motion passed off July 8 – July 13. It’s not too late to take part, you should utilize this kind and script to name your elected representatives.
