Rallies in 14 cities will feature everyday Americans speaking on how the appointment of Neil Gorsuch would advance Trump’s extreme agenda for decades to come
—by Lauren McCauley, staff writer at CommonDreams
Organized by a coalition of pro-democracy and civil rights groups under the umbrella of The People’s Defense, rallies are being held across the U.S., from Las Vegas to Sioux Falls, South Dakota to Portland, Maine. (Image via The People’s Defense)
With Democratic Party resistance to President Donald Trump’s Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch still in flux, American voters are taking to the streets on Saturday to stage a “People’s Filibuster” against the conservative judge.
Organized by a coalition of pro-democracy and civil rights groups under the umbrella of The People’s Defense, rallies are being held in 14 cities across the country, from Las Vegas to Sioux Falls, South Dakota to Portland, Maine.
Many events will feature “everyday Americans speaking on why they object to the extreme agenda of the president and how the appointment of Neil Gorsuch to the U.S. Supreme Court would advance that agenda for decades to come,” as stated by the Seattle call-to-action.
As Common Dreams reported Friday, Gorsuch has “refused to outright state his stance on critical Supreme Court decisions certain to face challenges in upcoming years, such as Roe v. Wade.” However, many are concerned about the ultra-conservative, dark money groups backing his confirmation and what that could mean for the balance of the U.S. Supreme Court.
As NationAction, the political arm of The Nation magazine, wrote Friday:
The likelihood that Gorsuch will move the court to the right, coupled with Republicans’ refusal to even hold a hearing for President Obama’s nominee Merrick Garland, make it clear that Democrats should fight back and filibuster Gorsuch’s nomination. Of course, if Democrats do this, Republicans could use the “nuclear option” to end the use of filibusters for Supreme Court nominations altogether. However, as Joshua Holland recently argued, this tactic could ultimately hurt the GOP more than Democrats—and Democrats should fight Gorsuch’s nomination and call their bluff.
Amid the political imbroglio surrounding the nomination, the People’s Filibuster provides a platform for popular response and resistance. For those who do not live near an action, People’s Defense is urging people to “call or tweet your U.S. Senators directly and let them know how you feel about Trump’s agenda getting a lifetime seat on the Supreme Court.”
Updates on the protest and larger effort to block Gorsuch are being shared under the hashtags #PeoplesFilibuster and #StopGorsuch.
Tweets about #PeoplesFilibuster OR #StopGorsuch
People’s defense partners include: the American Federation of Teachers, Credo Action, Daily Kos, Democracy for America, Demos, Emily’s List, End Citizens United, Every Voice, Indivisible, Lambda Legal, MoveOn.org, NARAL Pro-Choice America, National LGBTQ TaskForce, People for the American Way, Progressive Change Campaign Committee, Sierra Club, SEIU, Stand Up America, Ultraviolet, Women’s March, and the Working Families Party.
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