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PEG honors the memory of First Lady Rosalynn Carter
We join many across the nation in remembering the powerful legacy of Former First Lady Rosalynn Carter this week. Mrs. Carter was a trusted advisor and partner to her husband, Jimmy Carter, during his gubernatorial and presidential terms. We applaud her tireless work in the areas of mental health care and stigma reduction, caregiver support, equal rights for women, and protecting the vote for over sixty years. Her biggest gift she left to the world, however, might actually be hope. She was an activist who used her platform to advocate for people to have the support and resources they needed to have agency and freedom over their own lives. Watch her five-minute biography video below or pay your respects at rosalynncartertribute.org.
Each one of us can make a difference. It doesn’t take a former first lady or a former president of the United States to make a difference in our communities. – Rosalynn Carter
Planet on Fire: Hope
Last week in The New York Times, climate scientist Kate Marvel reported good news: Although we’re already living with terrible climate events like floods, droughts, and heat waves, the cost of wind and solar energy has drastically declined. Our nation’s greenhouse gas emissions are also declining while renewables are responsible for 80% of our new electricity generation capacity. If greenhouse gas emissions continue to fall, according to Marvel, world temperatures may never rise 2 degrees Celsius, which scientists predict would be catastrophic for our planet. This doesn’t mean there isn’t much work to be done in educating the public and redirecting the intentions of oil, gas, and coal companies.
The burgeoning production of electric cars is another source of hope. They are far superior to even hybrid cars for the environment, according to Stephen Porder, an associate professor of sustainability. And electric cars are only going to get better. As he notes, “an assessment from the Argonne National Laboratory found that the lifetime emissions of E.V.s dropped 40 percent between 2015 and 2020.” Electric cars may be the bulwark in our fight to counter climate change.
Special Election in 2024 for Two Michigan House Seats
Last week, Governor Whitmer called for a special election to fill two vacant seats in the Michigan House of Representatives. Two Democrats, former Representatives Lori Stone (D-Warren) and Kevin Coleman (D-Westland), were elected mayors of their respective cities. With their departures from the House, the legislature is now evenly split with 54 Republicans and 54 Democrats. A special primary election in the 13th and 25th House Districts will be held on January 30, with the special general election on April 16.
Since these districts are traditionally represented by Democrats, it is anticipated that the House will return to a 56-54 split with a Democratic majority. In the meantime, due to a rule change this year, the election of a new House Speaker can occur only with a 55-55 split; consequently, the Democratic speaker of the House will not change. – Michigan Advance
Michigan Delivers: Voting Rights Expansion
Not only has Governor Gretchen Whitmer fought against Voter Suppression Bills, today she helped deliver a promise to expand voting rights, protect election workers, and safeguard the integrity of Michigan elections. Some of the changes included will:
- Allow eligible individuals who are at least 16 years old to preregister to vote
- Make it easier to submit voter applications online
- Prohibit intimidating an election official
Bad, Bad News for American Democracy: The Gutting of the Voting Rights Act (Again)
Trump-appointed judge David Stras has ruled in the case of Arkansas State Conference NAACP v. Arkansas Public Policy Panel that private citizens cannot sue to protect their voting rights under the historic Voting Rights Act. This means that only the attorney general of the United States can file cases challenging rulings in states that he deems narrows or eliminates voting rights for Blacks or other minorities. According to Elie Mystal, writing in The Nation, “this ruling doesn’t merely weaken the Voting Rights Act; it makes the law functionally inoperable” in the seven states which comprise Stras’s eighth circuit—that is, Arkansas, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota. Stras’s ruling will undoubtedly go to the U.S. Supreme Court, but not before the 2024 election.
In a comparable blow to democracy, the New Hampshire Supreme Court ruled that the courts cannot adjudicate gerrymandering cases in the state. Politicians can do what they wish, and the people have no legal recourse (except voting them out of office).
Voting Rights Act is being attacked from ‘every possible angle,’ journalist says
Ari Berman says both the Supreme Court and the lower courts are working to dismantle the ’65 law that’s considered one of the most effective pieces of civil rights legislation ever enacted in the U.S.
Listen to NPR’s Fresh Air with Tonya Mosley (37 minutes)
Events and Opportunities
Wednesdays. America at a Crossroads Virtual Series
- Sunday, December 3. “Israel in Crisis Update.” Yossi Klein Halevi with Rabbi Ed Feinstein. Register here. 1 pm ET
- Wednesday, December 6. “An Early Look at the 2024 Elections.” Sarah Longwell and Simon Rosenberg with Larry Mantle. Register here. 8 pm ET
- Wednesday, December 13. “The World at War.” Pulitzer Prize winner Anne Applebaum with Warren Olney. Register here. 8 pm ET
Wednesday, December 13. Moms Demand Action Potluck and Film Screening
Moms Demand Action is a grassroots movement of Americans fighting for public safety measures that can protect people from gun violence. Join Washtenaw County members for the December membership meeting, potluck, and Gabby Giffords’ movie Won’t Back Down. You can sign up for potluck items here or in the app store: Demand Action. St. Aidan’s Episcopal Church, 1679 Broadway St., Ann Arbor 48105. 6:30 pm
Visit the PEG Events Page for more upcoming events at www.equalityingov.org/events!
More things to do, read, watch, and listen to
The U.S. Supreme Court recently issued a code of ethics following months of financial scandals associated with Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas. The nonbinding code, signed by all nine justices, outlines five canons intended to guide their behavior, emphasizing integrity, impartiality, diligence, and the avoidance of impropriety and political activity.
The code itself is unremarkable. It is based on the American Bar Association’s Model Code of Judicial Conduct, which is used throughout the country. In structure and in content it is largely the same. It, however, is absent of specifics and teeth.
Many critics have highlighted a critical flaw: compliance with the code is essentially voluntary and lacks any enforcement mechanisms. It is argued that the Court’s self-regulation isn’t sufficient, given the potential impact of their decisions.
Amanda Frost, a law professor at the University of Virginia who testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Supreme Court ethics, among others, has pointed out the disparity in accountability between Supreme Court justices and lower court judges who operate under stringent rules. Frost discusses possible solutions to this issue.
A recurring issue is the determination of recusal, left solely to individual justices. Critics argue that this practice lacks transparency and consistency, highlighting the necessity for an impartial body to oversee such decisions.
Suggestions abound, including proposals by Jeremy Fogel, the executive director of the Berkeley Judicial Institute and former California state judge and U.S. District Court judge in San Francisco. He proposes a panel of retired federal judges to address recusal issues. The code does not provide a mechanism to see how each individual justice applies the standards on how you deal with individual recusals. Each judge could be using a different standard. Fogel and others stress that the justices need an impartial referee, someplace to go to ask for an impartial opinion. “There’s been too little attention [among the justices] to appearances,” and appearances matter. The underlying concern remains the absence of an effective mechanism to ensure compliance with these ethical guidelines.
The US Courts have several robust policies on financial disclosure, gifts to the judicial branch, and mandatory conflict screening. The Supreme Court Code lacks reference to these policies and any comprehensive and guiding language on these issues.
The consensus of critics is that this code is too little, too late. Rules don’t matter all that much without some faith that they’ll be applied and enforced in a fair, non-arbitrary way.
Related resources:
Code of Conduct for Justices of the Supreme Court
Washington Post – Opinion – Jeremy Fogel
Michigan Advance November 13, 2023
MSN Opinion by Erwin Chemerinsky
MSN Opinion by Stephen I. Vladeck
Vermont Jewish Groups Condemn Shooting of 3 Palestinian Students in Potential Hate Crimes
Jewish congregations, politicians, campus, and community groups in Vermont strongly condemned the shooting of three Palestinian college students in Burlington as a potential hate crime.
The police arrested a 48-year-old Burlington man in connection with the incident. The victims were identified as Hisham Awartani, Kinnan Abdalhamid, and Tahseen Ahmed. Bernie Sanders, a Jewish Vermont Senator, expressed profound shock and emphasized that “hate has no place here, or anywhere.” Three local rabbis and four Hillels voiced sadness, denouncing the violence. The rabbis stood in solidarity with the Muslim community, recognizing the impact of violence on minority religious groups. They reached out to the local Islamic center president to offer support during this distressing time. The incident is part of a broader pattern of violence in the U.S. linked to the Israel-Hamas conflict. Read more
Good News
Local Bookstore recognizes Native American Heritage Month in Tangible Ways
Booksweet Bookstore, owned by long-time advocates for Native American awareness, justice, and equality, are recognizing Native American Heritage Month by donating 10% of book purchases from their Indigenous Voices reading list thru the end of November to Burt Lake Band Healing Landscape and Building fund. Booksweet and The City of Ann Arbor occupy the ancestral and contemporary lands of the Anishinaabe people—the Potawatomi, the Ojibwe, and the Odawa—and the Wyandot peoples.
Editor’s note: There was a correction made (from last week’s issue) to which organization the book proceeds will go to.
PEG Video of the Week
