The death of feminist champion Ruth Bader Ginsburg is a painful reminder of how precarious our freedoms remain.  The delicate balance of a 5-4 Supreme Court, with Justice Ginsburg leading the liberal side, will now crash and reassemble as a 6-3 conservative powerhouse—unless we stop it. 

We must stop Trump from seating yet another Justice who shares Trump’s view that the Supreme Court must overturn Roe v. Wade, shred civil rights laws, and turn back the clock on gender equality. We need at least four Republican Senators to oppose holding a vote before the election – and your voices can make this happen.  Contact your Senators today and sign our petition to demand #JusticeForAllNOW: No SCOTUS Confirmation Before Inauguration! Please share this petition with five friends because there is power in numbers! 

Today, I want to focus on an ongoing crisis that could be made even worse by an ultra-conservative Supreme Court.  Ruth Bader Ginsburg was a fierce opponent of voter suppression and her dissent in Shelby County v. Holder, the 2013 case that shredded the Voting Rights Act of 1965, has become legendary, as this article by former US Attorney Joyce Vance describes

After Chief Justice John Roberts suggested that the Act’s provision requiring “preclearance” of changes in voting procedures was no longer necessary because ingrained racism was a thing of the past, Ginsburg wrote, “Throwing out preclearance when it has worked and is continuing to work to stop discriminatory changes is like throwing away your umbrella in a rainstorm because you are not getting wet.” 

Now, the powerful forces behind the unprecedented campaign of voter suppression are looking to take out an insurance policy at the Supreme Court.  Trump and McConnell’s pick for the next Justice will be blind to this criminal behavior, and allow Trump to cheat his way into a second term. 

I was thrilled to join the national watch party last night for the premiere of the new documentary “All In: The Fight For Democracy,” featuring Stacey Abrams.  After the premiere, Stacey was on the panel  along with Lin-Manuel Miranda  talking about the importance of our right to vote.  As Stacey says, “The fundamental power of democracy lies in the right to vote, and if you protect that right, you create possibilities for everything else.”  

Poetry is also full of possibilities—and power.  I love this poem I found by an amateur poetCivil Righ…Wrongs by Rachel Haskins.