WASHINGTON, DC -- Today, House Democrats elected Representative Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) as Minority Leader for the upcoming 118th Congress. Rep. Jeffries has served in Congress since 2012 and will be the first Black party leader in Congress.
WASHINGTON, DC -- Today, the January 6 House Select Committee held its final hearing to investigate Trump’s insurrection and the criminal conspiracy to overturn a free and fair election. The Committee has held eight hearings since June, focusing on all aspects of the lead-up to January 6 and the events at the Capitol that day. Today’s hearing provided new evidence of that criminal conspiracy and recapped all of the key facts and evidence uncovered by the committee and in previous hearings. The Committee also unanimously voted during the hearing to subpoena Donald Trump.
WASHINGTON, DC -- Today, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments for Sackett v. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), a fossil fuel and industry backed effort to gut the Clean Water Act by narrowing the definition of Waters of the United States (WOTUS). A negative decision from the Supreme Court could open millions of acres of wetlands and millions of miles of streams – all currently protected by the Clean Water Act – to pollution and destruction.
WASHINGTON, DC -- Today Republican Senators employed the filibuster, a Jim Crow-era tool, to prevent the Senate from holding a vote or even starting a debate on the Democracy Is Strengthened by Casting Light On Spending in Elections (DISCLOSE) Act. The DISCLOSE Act would strengthen our democracy by shining a brighter light on outside groups that spend money in elections and judicial nominations, requiring them to disclose the names of the polluters and wealthy donors who contribute more than $10,000. Since the 2010 Citizens United Supreme Court decision, dark-money expenditures increased from less than $5 million in 2006 to more than $300 million in the 2012 election cycle and topped $1 billion in 2020.
PHILADELPHIA -- This evening, President Biden addressed the ongoing threats to our democracy, including the “Big Lie” perpetuated by Donald Trump about the 2020 election results that has eroded public trust in our elections and democracy. President Biden’s prime-time address comes at a time when threats to democracy rank at the top of Americans’ concerns, according to recent polling.
WASHINGTON, DC -- Yesterday, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson was officially sworn in as the newest Associate Justice of the Supreme Court. Justice Jackson was confirmed by a bipartisan Senate vote in April and is the first Black woman to be nominated and confirmed to the U.S. Supreme Court.
WASHINGTON, DC -- Today, the Senate failed to begin debate on the Women’s Health Protection Act for a second time, as Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) voted with all 50 Republicans to block the bill’s advancement. The Women’s Health Protection Act would codify the abortion and reproductive health protections of Roe v. Wade into federal law and block many of the extreme state-level restrictions on reproductive healthcare that have been recently passed.
WASHINGTON, DC -- Late last night, Politico published a draft opinion from the Supreme Court that would, if adopted by a majority of the Justices, overturn a long-held precedent in Roe v. Wade. The final decision is expected to be released before the end of the Court’s term this summer.
WASHINGTON, DC -- Today, the Senate Judiciary Committee held a confirmation hearing for Nancy Abudu to be a judge for the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals, which encompasses Alabama, Florida, and Georgia. If confirmed, Ms. Abudu would be the first Black woman and only the third Black judge in the 11th Circuit’s history.
WASHINGTON, DC -- Moments ago, in a bipartisan effort, the Senate voted 53-47 to confirm Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court. Justice Jackson, the first Black woman to be nominated to the High Court, had previously been confirmed by the U.S. Senate with bipartisan support three times. She will bring a range of experience to the Supreme Court, including having been a public defender, serving on the U.S. Sentencing Commission, and serving as a judge for the majority of the past 10 years.
WASHINGTON, DC -- Today, Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson’s nomination to the Supreme Court received a tie vote along party lines in the Senate Judiciary Committee and is expected to advance to the Senate floor for a final vote later this week. Judge Jackson, the first Black woman to be nominated to the High Court, endured racist and outlandish attacks from many Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee during her hearing last month and her nomination will be discharged from the committee after a tie vote between Democrats and Republicans -- yet another unprecedented and unwarranted move by Senate Republicans. No other Supreme Court nominee in modern times has needed a discharge petition to be advanced out of Committee.
WASHINGTON, DC — Today, Earthjustice Action, the League of Conservation Voters, and the Sierra Club launched a digital ad campaign in support of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson’s nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court. When confirmed, Judge Jackson will make history as the first Black woman to serve on the Court in its 233-year history.