More than 1 Million Americans Urge Senators to Protect Our Rights and Our Courts

Coalition for a Fair and Independent Judiciary Delivers Petitions Telling Senators to Stand Up for Checks and Balances, Reject the Nuclear Option

April 6, 2005

Washington, DC - Signaling the groundswell of opposition to the power grab that the nuclear option represents, the Coalition for a Fair and Independent Judiciary, an alliance of the country's leading national public interest, civil rights, and civil liberties organizations, today delivered petitions signed by more than 1 million Americans to Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid (NV) at a rally on the steps of the Supreme Court. The petitions, signed by ordinary Americans from across the country, ask senators to stand up against Senator Frist's nuclear option and protect our system of checks and balances.

"The nuclear option is an abuse of power, and today, Americans from across the country told Republicans loud and clear to stop," said Senator Reid. "Over one million citizens are standing up for their right to be heard in Washington. If Republicans can silence the Democrats in the Senate, their power will be unchecked. That's not how our government works, and Senate Democrats will continue to fight to protect the historic power of the Senate to ensure a fair and independent judiciary."

Chellie Pingree, President of Common Cause, a non-partisan organization committed to good and responsible government for the past 35 years, spoke on behalf of the Coalition for a Fair and Independent Judiciary. Pingree was joined by civil rights giant Congressman John Lewis (D-GA) and Harrisburg, PA petition signer Corey Rowley.

"We are here today united in a truly common purpose," Pingree told the lunchtime crowd. "We are here to protect our rights, the rights of all Americans, from a power grab. We are here today to make sure that the current Senate leadership doesn't think that they can get away with breaking the Senate rules to silence the minority. We are here today to represent the more than 1 million Americans who have signed these petitions to let their senators know they oppose the nuclear option and the abuse of power it represents."

Petition signer Corey Rowley presented Senator Reid with petitions signed by more than 1 million Americans from across the country, stating, "As an American with a disability and someone who has made her life's work protecting the rights of people with disabilities, this is a very personal battle. Disabled Americans have fought hard to earn the same rights as all Americans. It hasn't always been a popular battle and it hasn't always enjoyed majority support, so I appreciate the need to protect the voice of the minority. A lot of people say this is about politics, but it shouldn't be. To me, this is not a partisan issue. It's an issue of right and wrong and breaking the rules is just plain wrong."

In addition to Senate Minority Leader Reid, the petitions were also delivered to Republican Majority Leader Bill Frist (TN). Petitions reflecting a number of people in each state who oppose the nuclear option and the power grab it represents were delivered to the offices of Senators McCain (AZ), Snowe (ME), Collins (ME), Hagel (NE), Sununu (NH), Smith (OR), Specter (PA) and Warner (VA).

Statements from the Coalition and organizations that collected petitions follow:

"As the Bush Administration continues its relentless campaign to seize the federal courts with extremist nominees, the filibuster may be our only recourse to prevent a right-wing court majority that would overturn civil rights laws and send women, people of color and other disenfranchised groups back to the 1950s. We urge all senators who are committed to a fair judiciary and the preservation of minority rights to hold strong in their determination to filibuster." Kim Gandy, President of NOW.

"Americans need to understand what is at stake. The American people need to know that if we let Republican leaders break the Senate rules to cut off debate, we are setting a dangerous precedent that undermines our democracy and the constitutional system designed so carefully by the Founding Fathers This is not just about a handful of judges or even just the Supreme Court, it is about the integrity of the institution and everything we hold dear. These petitions signed by more than 1 million Americans are a powerful statement." Wade Henderson, Executive Director of the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights

"The filibuster has been an integral tool of our democracy for preserving checks and balances for over 200 years. Changing the rules mid-game for partisan, political court-packing is a clear abuse of power." Nan Aron, President of the Alliance for Justice Action Campaign

"America works best when no one party has absolute power, and the Senate filibuster is one of the last, best checks on complete power in our system today. Now more than ever, we need this time-tested, 200-year-old Senate rule. The signatures on these petitions show that support for the judicial filibuster is wide and deep across the country, and that people on both sides of the political aisle want to see bipartisan cooperation in finding fair, independent judges to fill lifetime posts on the federal bench and the Supreme Court." Ralph G. Neas, President of the People For the American Way Foundation

"A weak majority in the Senate, together with the President, are trying to not only stack the federal courts with right-wing, anti-women's rights appointments, but also to silence a minority in the Senate, which actually represents, in state populations, more people than the majority in the Senate. For women this could be catastrophic, because we stand to lose the gains of the last 40 years, especially our right to reproductive choice and our hard-won protections against sex discrimination." Eleanor Smeal, President of the Feminist Majority

"Republicans want absolute power to appoint Supreme Court justices who favor corporate interests and the far right over the rest of us. The American people won't let them get away with it" Eli Pariser, Executive Director of MoveOn PAC

"George Bush wants free reign to give lifetime Supreme Court appointments to out-of-touch judges who would overturn Roe v. Wade and curtail the right to privacy. If he succeeds, the impact of their decisions will be felt for generations to come. If Senators care about individual liberties, they must speak out against the unprecedented abuse of power that Senator Frist's nuclear option represents. Requiring consensus on something as important as a Supreme Court appointment is smart policy that serves the best interests of our democracy." Nancy Keenan, President of NARAL Pro-Choice America

"Since its inception, the National Council of Jewish Women has fought to ensure that all voices are a part of the democratic process. The nuclear option strikes at the very foundation of our democratic society. Our democracy derives its strength not simply from majority rule, but from its defense of the rights of political, ethnic, religious, and racial minorities to dissent and to have an impact on the political process. NCJW's 90,000 members and supporters urge the Senate to repudiate the nuclear option." Phyllis Snyder, President, National Council of Jewish Women

"Those Senators who support President Bush's most controversial picks for judges can't win when they play by the rules, so they are trying to change the rules instead. This is playground-style bullying and Americans won't stand for it. Such bullying is beneath the dignity of the Senate and threatens to undermine the integrity of the judicial nominations process." Karen Pearl, Interim President of Planned Parenthood Federation of America

"USAction, the nation's largest federation of consumer advocacy organizations, will not stand by and watch the Senate do away with one of this nation's most crucial check and balance, the filibuster. Without a fair judiciary, the interests of individual citizens will lose to corporate interests every time. Our activists signed the petition because they know the only way to protect their rights is to protect the courts from judges who rule out of the mainstream." William McNary, President of USAction

"Working Assets members strongly support the Senate tradition of 'advise and consent' on judicial nominations - something intended to support judges whose philosophies are not extreme. Eliminating the filibuster is a transparent attempt to gut an essential method of balance in public life, and will damage our democracy for years to come." Michael Kieschnick, President of Working Assets

The Coalition for a Fair and Independent Judiciary- an Alliance of Civil Rights, Human Rights, Labor, Religious and Women's Organizations

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