Our democracy must advance fairness, justice, and equality. At its best, the Supreme Court has defended these ideals, but we can no longer ignore that it has become too political and too powerful.
An unaccountable, unethical majority on the Supreme Court is behaving as if the rules don’t apply to them. We’ve seen a barrage of ethics scandals, from the rising influence of special interest donors to justices ignoring clear conflicts of interest and ruling in cases even when their spouses stand to directly benefit.
Partisan justices are basing their decisions on politics and not the law. They have stripped women of the right to make the most important decisions of their lives. They are granting guns more rights than our kids, ripping voting rights to shreds, and ruling in lockstep with the rich and powerful.
It’s time for checks and balances to restore our democracy. Our Constitution gives Congress the ability to check the Supreme Court’s power, including by passing a law to change its size. Adding more justices would not only restore balance to the Supreme Court, it also would restore balance between our three branches of government.
Fairness, not partisanship, must dictate what’s right, but this Court is taking advantage of a stacked deck to unleash deeply unpopular, illegitimate rulings opposed by the American majority. If we let the status quo stand, our kids will have fewer and fewer rights than we did.
It’s time for a national conversation about adding justices so the Court can once again advance justice and equality. If that means expanding the Supreme Court, so be it.
On the Move
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Washington, D.C.
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Chevy Chase, MD
06.20.23Rep. Jamie Raskin joins reproductive rights advocates for a press conference calling for major reforms to the Supreme Court to combat ethics scandals and partisan rulings.
Raskin is joined by Planned Parenthood of Maryland President & CEO Karen Nelson, Pro-Choice Maryland Action Vice-Chair Priya Hay-Chatterjee, and reproductive rights advocate Karen Finney. Speakers will discuss the need for reforms including Supreme Court expansion.
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New York City
06.17.23Rev. Al Sharpton welcomes elected officials and advocates including Rep. Adriano Espaillat and New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams to the National Action Network’s House Of Justice for a press conference calling for major reforms to the U.S. Supreme Court to combat partisan rulings and ethics scandals.
Sharpton, Espaillat, and Williams are joined by former Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards, New York State Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Brad Hoylman-Segal, Sen. Jessica Ramos, and Rep. Latrice Walker.
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Philadelphia
06.16.23Rep. Brendan Boyle joins Pennsylvania elected officials, civil rights leaders, and legal experts for a press conference calling for major reforms to the Supreme Court to combat ethics scandals and partisan rulings.
Boyle is joined by Sen. Nikil Saval, Councilwoman Kendra Brooks, civil rights leaders Martin Luther King III, Arndrea Waters King, and Rashad Robinson, and legal expert Kermit Roosevelt. Speakers will call for reforms including a binding code of ethics and Supreme Court expansion.
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Chapel Hill
06.13.23Mayor Pam Hemminger welcomes civil rights leaders including Rev. Al Sharpton, Martin Luther King III, and Arndrea Waters King to Chapel Hill for a press conference to call for major reforms to the courts to combat ethics crises and partisan rulings at the Court. The press conference comes as the Supreme Court is expected to rule this month in a case about the University of North Carolina’s diversity in college admissions policy.
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Atlanta
06.10.23Congressman Hank Johnson (GA-04) joins reproductive rights and democracy advocates for a press conference calling for major judicial reforms to combat partisan rulings and ethics scandals at the Supreme Court.
Johnson is joined by state Sen. Nancy Orrock, Alicia Stallworth of NARAL Pro-Choice America, reproductive rights advocate Brittany Packnett Cunningham, Cliff Albright of Black Voters Matter, and Porsha White of End Citizens United.
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Dallas
06.04.23At a press conference held just blocks away from the corporate headquarters of Harlan Crow’s business, Rep. Jasmine Crockett and advocates for reproductive and civil rights called for reforms to combat a ‘culture of corruption’ and partisan Supreme Court rulings.
Crockett was joined by former NARAL Pro-Choice America President Ilyse Hogue, reproductive rights advocate Karen Finney, and Black Voters Matter National Field Director Wanda Mosley.
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Austin
06.03.23Rep. Greg Casar joined reproductive rights advocates including Cecile Richards for a press conference denouncing corruption and partisan rulings at the Supreme Court and calling for reforms to restore balance and integrity, including Supreme Court expansion.
Rep. Casar and Richards, the former president of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, were joined by Austin City Council Member Zohaib Qadri, Planned Parenthood Texas Votes Co-Executive Director Drucilla Tigner, and reproductive rights advocate Alencia Johnson.
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Houston
06.02.23Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee held a news conference calling for major reforms to the U.S. Supreme Court amid rising concerns about ethics scandals and partisan rulings at the Court. Jackson Lee was joined by civil rights advocates Martin Luther King III, Rashad Robinson, Wanda Mosley, and Shellie Hayes-McMahon.
The press conference also featured a bus from the Black Voters Matter campaign.
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Irvine
05.28.23Rep. Katie Porter held a news conference in Irvine calling for major reforms to the U.S. Supreme Court amid rising concerns about ethics scandals and partisan rulings at the Court.
Porter was joined by Survivors Empowered co-founders Sandy and Lonnie Phillips, Senior Corporate Counsel of Planned Parenthood of Orange and San Bernardino Counties Natalie Colvin, Co-Chair of Indivisible Media City Burbank Patti Crane, and Sophia Carrillo of the American Constitution Society Los Angeles Lawyer Chapter.
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Burbank
05.26.23Rep. Adam Schiff held a news conference calling for major reforms to the U.S. Supreme Court amid rising concerns about ethics scandals and partisan rulings at the Court.
Schiff was joined by Co-Founders of Survivors Empowered Sandy and Lonnie Phillips, Executive Director of Planned Parenthood Advocacy Project Los Angeles County Celinda M. Vázquez, State Democracy Policy Director of League of Conservation Voters Amanda Gnaedinger, Co-chair of Indivisible Media City Burbank Marty Perlmutter, and Sophia Carrillo of the American Constitution Society Los Angeles Lawyer Chapter.
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Oakland
05.21.23Rep. Barbara Lee held a news conference on Sunday calling for major reforms to the U.S. Supreme Court amid rising concern about ethics scandals and partisan rulings at the Court. Lee was joined by Berkeley City Councilmember Rigel Robinson and representatives from Planned Parenthood, California Environmental Voters, Indivisible East Bay, and Youth ALIVE!.
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Sacramento
05.16.23California state and local lawmakers hold a press conference calling for reforms to the U.S. Supreme Court, including expansion, as concern rises about Supreme Court ethics problems and partisan rulings that could threaten state and local laws.
Legislators are joined by CEO & President of Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California Jodi Hicks, following news over the weekend that the national organization Planned Parenthood endorsed Supreme Court expansion.
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St. Louis
05.08.23Rep. Cori Bush joins reproductive rights advocates to call for major reforms to the Supreme Court, including expansion, amid mounting concern about ethics scandals and partisan rulings at the Court.
Bush is also joined by Pro-Choice Missouri Executive Director Mallory Schwarz and reproductive rights advocates Brittany Cunningham and Alencia Johnson.
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Minneapolis
05.07.23Sen. Tina Smith is joined former Planned Parenthood Federation of America President Cecile Richards, Pro-Choice Minnesota Executive Director Maggie Meyer, and reproductive rights advocate Alencia Johnson to call for major judicial reforms, including Supreme Court expansion.
The speakers discuss the need for major reforms to the judiciary, including Supreme Court expansion and ethics reform. Smith is one of three active supporters of expansion in the Senate. Speakers discuss the need to reform the Supreme Court in particular to safeguard health care and reproductive rights.
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Chicago
05.05.23Rep. Delia Ramirez is joined by state lawmakers and gun violence prevention advocates for a press conference about the danger the Supreme Court poses to common sense gun violence prevention measures. Speakers will call for major reforms to the Court, including expansion and ethics reform.
The press conference comes amid news the Supreme Court has been asked to block Illinois’ assault weapons ban, a ban that has already been put on hold by a federal judge in the state.
State Rep. Bob Morgan, leading advocates in the state legislature for gun violence prevention, and issue advocates join Rep. Ramirez in giving remarks at today’s event.
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Detroit
05.03.23Rep. Rashida Tlaib joins reproductive rights advocates including former Planned Parenthood Federation of America President Cecile Richards for a press conference calling for major reforms to the judiciary amid growing concern about ethics scandals engulfing the court.
Tlaib and Richards are joined by Planned Parenthood Advocates of Michigan Executive Director Nicole Wells Stallworth, reproductive rights advocate Karen Finney, and former Biden Presidential Commission on the Supreme Court of the United States Commissioner Caroline Fredrickson.
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White Plains, NY
04.30.23Rep. Jamaal Bowman is joined by former Rep. Mondaire Jones and gun violence prevention advocates for a press conference about the need for Supreme Court reform as part of a nationwide tour highlighting extreme partisan rulings and ethical lapses by the Court.
Bowman and Jones are joined by Community Justice Action Fund Executive Director Greg Jackson, Orange Ribbons for Jaime Founder Fred Guttenberg, and Northwell Health Center for Gun Violence Prevention Director Chethan Sathya.
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Trenton, NJ
04.29.23Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman joins legal experts and issue advocates including former Planned Parenthood Federation of America President Cecile Richards for a news conference highlighting corruption and partisan rulings at the Supreme Court and calling for reform.
The event comes amid news about Justice Clarence Thomas taking gifts from a Republican mega donor and Justice Neil Gorsuch’s financial transactions with a Supreme Court litigator.
Watson Coleman and Richards are joined by Dēmos President Taifa Smith Butler and former Biden Presidential Commission on the Supreme Court of the United States Commissioner Caroline Fredrickson.
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Montpelier, VT
04.27.23Vermont elected officials led by Lt. Gov. David Zuckerman endorses reforms to the United States Supreme Court, including court expansion, as part of a new national Supreme Court accountability campaign.
The announcement comes amid growing concern about Supreme Court ethics scandals, including Justice Clarence Thomas’ undisclosed ties to a Republican megadonor, and partisan rulings on issues including abortion rights and voting rights. The court’s increasingly partisan jurisprudence has raised concerns about it interfering with federal and state laws aimed at policy priorities like climate change mitigation and gun violence prevention.
Lt. Gov. Zuckerman will be joined by state Sens. Anne Watson, Tanya Vyhovsky, Martine Gulick and Reps. Emma Mulvaney-Stanak, Taylor Small, Troy Headrick and Kate Logan.
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Newtown, CT
04.26.23Gun violence prevention advocates and survivors will headline a press conference about Supreme Court reform in Newtown, Connecticut, as part of a nationwide bus tour highlighting extreme partisan rulings and ethical lapses by the Court to make the case for major judicial reforms.
The event is the second stop of the bus tour, which is part of a new Supreme Court accountability campaign launched following new ethics scandals swirling around Justice Clarence Thomas and extreme rulings, including rulings striking down gun violence prevention measures. In the wake of the Supreme Court’s ruling in the Bruen case, courts have struck down a series of gun violence prevention measures across the country, including restrictions on gun ownership for people under domestic violence restraining orders.
At the press conference, Newtown Action Alliance Chairwoman Po Murray and Teachers Unify to End Gun Violence Executive Director Abbey Clements will be joined by three high school seniors and Sandy Hook School tragedy survivors: Cyrena Arokium, Nicole Melchionno, and Ashley Hubner.
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Boston
04.24.23
Sens. Markey and Warren and Rep. Pressley kick off the Just Majority Supreme Court accountability campaign with a press conference about the need for major Supreme Court reforms, including expansion.This is the first press conference in a series of 20+ events across the country to highlight partisan rulings and ethics scandals at the Supreme Court.
The lawmakers are joined by: Biden Presidential Commission on the Supreme Court of the United States Commissioner Caroline Fredrickson, March For Our Lives Board Secretary David Hogg, GLAD Executive Director Janson Wu, and reproductive rights advocate Alencia Johnson.
Latest News
Rev. Al Sharpton’s National Action Network backs Supreme Court reform
“Comprehensive reforms, such as an expansion to the bench, are crucial to rebuilding trust, safeguarding our rights, and reestablishing a fair and impartial court,” said the Rev. Al Sharpton.
Survivors of Sandy Hook tragedy call for reform to SCOTUS
The group called for change after recent rulings by the nation’s highest court and reports regarding Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas.
Warren, Markey, Pressley calling for Supreme Court reforms at kickoff of nationwide bus tour
Members of the Massachusetts congressional delegation helped launch a nationwide bus tour calling for reforms of the U.S. Supreme Court. They spoke in favor of a proposal known as the Judiciary Act, which would expand the number of justices on the court.
Advocacy groups teaming up for Supreme Court accountability campaign
A group of over 30 advocacy organizations is banding together for a campaign to stump for structural reforms to the Supreme Court, including court expansion, following revelations of alleged misconduct by Justice Clarence Thomas.