The recent string of rulings from the Supreme Court’s radical supermajority must be a wake-up call for the nation:
• In Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, the Supreme Court reversed almost 50 years of precedent, flatly declaring Roe v. Wade “egregiously wrong from the start.” For the first time in American history, the court has taken away a well-settled federal constitutional right.
• In Carson v. Makin, a case involving access to education in rural Maine, the Supreme Court opened the floodgates for claims that the government must fund religious instruction if it funds any educational services outside the public schools.
• In Kennedy v. Bremerton School District, the Supreme Court further blurred the line between church and state, paving the way to coercive prayer in schools by finding it OK for a football coach to conduct public prayers at midfield after games.
• In New York State Rifle & Pistol Association Inc. v. Bruen, the Supreme Court overturned a century-old New York gun safety law. The very next day, Congress passed the first federal gun safety law in decades.
In these cases, the Supreme Court rode roughshod not just over precedent, but public opinion. And that’s just fine, says Justice Samuel Alito. In his own words: “Why, for example, does the dissent think it is relevant to recount the mass shootings that have occurred in recent years?”
A ray of sunshine was the swearing in of Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson—the first Black woman and public defender ever to serve on the Supreme Court. Her confirmation, which we helped secure, underscores the importance of participating in the political process. The more people who do, the more diverse judges we’ll get—in experience, thought, and background.
Still, the unfortunate truth is that there is no quick fix. Now, more than ever, we must remain engaged and fight for what we know is right. The stakes could not be higher. Democracy itself is on the line—and on the ballot come November.
In solidarity,
Marc Egan
Government Relations Director
National Education Association
We need a judiciary that looks more like America, a judiciary that includes fair-minded people—with diverse personal and professional backgrounds—who are committed to justice for all.
Reimagine public schools as community hubs committed to meeting the needs of the whole child with integrated support services, expanded and enriched learning opportunities, and family and community engagement.
CHEER: Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) introduced H. Res. 1209, the Transgender Bill of Rights, which would codify the Supreme Court’s 2020 Bostock v. Clayton County decision that protects employees against discrimination for being gay or transgender.
