A captured Supreme Court, Medicaid Awareness Month, protecting libraries, and more!
Contact all members of Congress:
- By phone: (202) 224-3121
- By email: democracy.io
- By US mail: Representatives / Senators
- By fax: Representatives / Senators
- By Resistbot: Resist.bot
Contact White House or other federal agencies:
- REFORM THE SUPREME COURTCourt watchers think that the Supreme Court is unlikely to rule that Trump has absolute immunity from prosecution in the election interference case, but they’re also reporting that the justices appear to be in no hurry to rule on the matter, potentially delaying the trial until after the November election. Meanwhile, the conservative super-majority Court has: overturned the federal right to an abortion; struck down affirmative action in college admissions;ruled in favor of LGBTQ+ discrimination in a fake case it never should have considered; issued non-binding, unenforceable ethics rules despite the revelation of ethics violations by some of its members; and more. Here are some ways we can help:
- Send a link to this Brennan Center report to our Members of Congress and tell them we went them to pass legislation implementing the reforms recommended there.
- Reach out to our senators and ask why the investigation into allegations of corruption against Justice Clarence Thomas has stalled and what they’re doing to seek accountability.
- Join Demand Justice and Fix The Court to stay engaged with efforts for the structural change we need for the judiciary.
- Get sane, calm, clear explanations of legal news by subscribing to the blog of lawyer, author, and commentator Teri Kanefield or veteran judicial journalist Chris Geidner’s Law Dork.
- Make sure that the Senate, which is responsible for confirming nominees to the Supreme Court, continues to hold a Democratic majority by volunteering with Swing Left.
- CELEBRATE MEDICAID AWARENESS MONTH
Since it was strengthened under the Affordable Care Act, one in four Americans now has health care coverage through Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Plan (CHIP), a 52% increase. Thanks to Medicaid expansion we’ve seen historic reductions in racial and ethnic disparities in access to health care, countless rural hospitals saved from closure, and significantly improved health outcomes for low-income people during the pandemic. But Medicaid is under attack, with Trump planning to roll back the ACA and kick 23 million Americans out of the program along with cutting funding through transitioning Medicaid to block grants and instituting work requirements. The Republican Study Committee’s recent budget proposed cutting Medicaid spending by 54% in the next decade, and Project 2025 calls for a cap on Medicaid spending. Tomorrow marks the end of Medicaid Awareness Month. Let’s mark the occasion by reaching out to our members of Congress and ask them to commit to treating Medicaid as important as Medicare and Social Security and pledge to fight cuts at all costs, and let’s make sure we seek the same pledge from all the candidates asking for our vote this election cycle. (And if we’re in one of the 10 states that is still refusing to expand Medicaid under the ACA, let’s tell our legislators and governors it’s long overdue.) - INVESTIGATE “COMPLETELY ROGUE” POLICE IN ALABAMA
Protests have been ongoing for months in Decatur, Alabama since police killed a Black man named Stephen Perkins in his own front yard while helping to repossess his truck. While one officer is facing murder charges, Perkins’ family has called for broader accountability from the police department – and last week they responded by handcuffing his widow and arresting her and two other protesters during a peaceful demonstration. Civil rights attorney Lee Merritt is now calling for a federal investigation into the Decatur PD, saying they have “gone completely rogue” and accusing them of policies and procedures that promote the use of excessive force and other abuses. Let’s contact the Justice Department and tell them we support this call for a pattern-or-practice investigation into the Decatur Police. - FLIPPING A SEAT ON THE GEORGIA SUPREME COURT
For the next three weeks, Postcards To Voters volunteers are writing for former Congressman John Barrow, who is running for the Supreme Court of Georgia. As the campaign has said: “[this] court is the only court in the land that can strike down Georgia’s strict abortion ban and restore women’s right to make their own private medical decisions, including the right to abortion.” Turnout for the May 21st vote is expected to be low, so getting out the vote could flip a seat on a court burdened by being packed by Republicans.Becoming a Postcards To Voters volunteer involves sending a sample postcard to prove we’re not bots and then we can begin requesting addresses (each volunteer supplies the postcards and stamps). If we are already a registered volunteer, we can email or Slack (texting is down right now) for addresses and instructions. Let’s get writing at postcardstovoters.org. We can also join textbanks for John Barrow hosted by Fair Fight Action, with the next one coming Thursday, May 9th at 5:30pm.
STATE-SPECIFIC ACTIONS
- MANY – PROTECT LIBRARIESLibraries and librarians are under threat. Laws and bills in at least 27 states restrict the materials that libraries can offer, using a deceitful definition of “obscene” that often means content about people who are LGBTQ+ or in marginalized racial or ethnic groups. Librarians may be fined—or even jailed—for providing these materials. A Washington Post story has descriptions of bills and laws and their status, by state. Let’s contact our state legislators to advocate for laws that protect libraries and librarians and strongly oppose anti-library laws.
CORRECTIONS AND UPDATES
Unfortunately, there was an incorrect bill number in one of Wednesday’s entries. It has been corrected below. Thanks to our readers for keeping us honest!
- STOP “SHRINKFLATION”
The Shrinkflation Prevention Act of 2024 (HR7825/ S 3819) would allow the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to crack down on corporations who deceive customers by not informing them when they’ve reduced the size of a product, yet continue to charge consumers the same price for it. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, this practice accounts for 10 percent of inflation, and has contributed to higher and higher corporate profits at a time when many families are struggling to make ends meet. Let’s tell our MoCs that we support this bill and we want to see it passed in Congress as soon as possible.
AND FINALLY, SOME GOOD NEWS
- LAST WEEK’S WINSIt may not always feel like it, but our work is making a difference every single day. Our friend Jessica Craven at Chop Wood, Carry Water outlines a few ways how in her run-down of our recent victories, including the Department of Labor making millions of American workers newly eligible for overtime pay, the FTC proposing a final rule that would ban noncompete agreements, and the EPA imposing what may become the first federal mandate to cut carbon dioxide from power plants.
