WASHINGTON, D.C.-- Early this morning, Senate Republicans yet again blocked opening the debate on the For the People Act and two of its most broadly, bipartisan-supported elements -- fair redistricting and the DISCLOSE Act. The For the People Act is supported by 83 percent of US voters, and both the redistricting and Disclose Act components have broad bipartisan support in Congress. The For the People Act includes comprehensive, commonsense reforms to our democracy that ensure every American has the freedom to vote, regardless of their zip code or background. It also bans partisan gerrymandering, reduces government corruption, and curbs the influence of big money donors on elections and the electoral process.
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Yesterday, the Senate confirmed Todd Kim, President Biden’s nominee for Assistant Attorney General to head the Environment and Natural Resources Division at the U.S. Department of Justice. Mr. Kim previously served for seven years as an appellate attorney with the Environment and Natural Resources Division of the Department of Justice.
PHILADELPHIA, PA -- Today, President Biden delivered a speech on protecting the freedom to vote just one day after a majority of Texas House Democrats left the state to block a vote on new voter suppression bills. To date, 48 states have introduced nearly 400 bills restricting access to the polls, and the For The People Act, which is awaiting a vote in the U.S. Senate, would halt many of these voter suppression bills.
Leading national environmental organizations, EDF Action, the Sierra Club, League of Conservation Voters, NRDC Action and Clean Water Action, launched a digital ad campaign to thank Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Senators Mark Kelly, Maggie Hassan, Raphael Warnock, Jon Ossoff, Jeff Merkley and Amy Klobuchar for their support of the For the People Act. The ads also highlight why environmental groups have joined the democracy fight -- “A Healthy Democracy = A Healthy Environment.”
WASHINGTON, DC -- Today, the Supreme Court ruled 6-3 to further weaken the Voting Rights Act. The case, Brnovich v. the Democratic National Committee, imposes a cramped standard for proving a violation of Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act that threatens to undermine the Act's core purpose: to eliminate discriminatory voting practices of all kinds. That decision arrives as 48 states have introduced nearly 390 bills restricting access to the polls this year alone.
WASHINGTON, DC -- Today, Senate Republicans exploited the filibuster to delay the For The People Act. The For The People Act, which is supported by 83% of Americans nationwide and already passed the House, includes a comprehensive, common sense democracy reforms, including automatic voter registration, stronger rules around ethics and campaign finance, restored voting rights for 1.7 million formerly incarcerated people, a ban on partisan gerrymandering, and more. To date, 48 states have introduced nearly 390 bills restricting access to the polls, and the For The People Act would halt many of these voter suppression bills.
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Leading national environmental organizations are united to defend democracy and we urge passage of the historic For the People Act, which would protect peoples’ freedom to vote and make our democracy fairer and more inclusive.
Washington, DC -- Tonight, the U.S. Senate voted 53-44 to confirm Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit. Judge Jackson is the first Black woman to serve on a federal appeals court in a decade.
In response, Sierra Club Democracy Program Director Courtney Hight released the following statement:
WASHINGTON, D.C.-- Late yesterday, the Senate Rules and Administration Committee advanced S.1, the For the People Act, to the floor for a final vote. The For The People Act is a landmark democracy reform package that is designed to create nationwide automatic and same day voter registration, strengthen anti-corruption laws to curb the influence of corporate polluters, put an end to partisan gerrymandering, restore voting rights for 1.7 million formerly incarcerated people, and more.
JACKSONVILLE -- Earlier today, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed SB 90 into law, a Jim Crow-style voter suppression bill that will make it more difficult for Floridians to vote. Florida is the latest state to enact a voter suppression bill since the 2020 election. In total, 47 Republican legislatures have introduced more than 350 Jim Crow-inspired bills to suppress votes.
WASHINGTON, D.C.-- Today, the House of Representatives passed HR 51 -- Washington, DC Congressmember Eleanor Holmes Norton’s bill to establish DC statehood -- for the second time. Earlier this week, the White House formally endorsed HR 51 and issued a statement of “full support” for DC as the 51st state.
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Today, President Biden will sign an executive order to create a new bipartisan Presidential Commission on the Supreme Court. According to the announcement, over the next 180 days, the Commission will study “the genesis of the reform debate; the Court’s role in the Constitutional system; the length of service and turnover of justices on the Court; the membership and size of the Court; and the Court’s case selection, rules, and practices.” The study will also include public meetings to solicit views of additional experts.