Top Stories for April 12:

Today’s Action: Tell Congress to expand and balance the Supreme Court!

Last week the Supreme Court ruled 5-4 to restrict the role of states in enforcing the Clean Water Act. Without even giving a reason, the conservative majority brought back Trump-era legislation that rips away states’ abilities to protect their water sources. The pro-pollution ruling sets a dangerous precedent for the future, illustrating just how wildly unrepresentative of the American people the skewed court has become. While confirming Ketanji Brown Jackson is a step in the right direction, expanding the court as soon as possible is critical to protect and advance a progressive agenda, for years to come.

It doesn’t just stop with our climate — conservatives across the country, emboldened by a radically imbalanced court, are also systematically disenfranchising millions of voters and denying women access to critical care. Expanding the court means protecting the voices of marginalized communities across the country.

The number of Supreme Court justice seats is not constitutionally mandated and has fluctuated over the history of our country. Changing the number again now has precedent AND would allow for more accurate representation.

Call (202-224-3121) or write your members of Congress and demand they support the expansion of the Supreme Court.

Not so fun facts: five of the six conservative justices currently on the Supreme Court were a) appointed by presidents who lost the popular vote when they first took office and b) confirmed by some of the slimmest Senate margins in US history. And that’s arguably not even the worst part.

In 2016, Republicans stonewalled then-President Obama’s Supreme Court nominee for 293 days, refusing to hold hearings, and ultimately gifting the open seat to Trump in early 2017. Four years later, in the waning days of the 2020 election, Republicans jammed through a deeply unpopular Supreme Court justice in a historically short period of time. They succeeded by ignoring their own voters’ opinions, their own precedent, and their own committee rules — to the detriment of all other legislative needs, including pandemic relief. A court that should be a 5-4 left-leaning majority is now a 6-3 extreme, right-wing majority.

Call (202-224-3121) or write your members of Congress and demand they restore balance and representation to the Supreme Court by expanding its numbers.

PS — Please don’t forget to sign the petition to demand the FBI investigate the arson of an LGBTQ bar, and be sure to follow OD Action on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.