AFJ Press Releases | Alliance for Justice

We serve as a resource for both traditional and new media and produce groundbreaking research on a wide variety of topics related to our mission of advancing justice and democracy for all Americans. Download our most recent press releases, media advisories, and statements below.

For more information, contact Richard Wexler, Media Relations Manager, at richard.wexler@afj.org or (202) 464-7371.

AFJ CONDEMNS GRASSLEY “COURT-PACKING SCHEME”

04/11/13

Legislation sponsored by Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) to reduce the number of judges on what is widely viewed as the nation’s second most important federal court is a “court-packing scheme” to keep the court in the hands of staunch conservatives, according to Alliance for Justice.

“IT’S ABOUT TIME”

04/09/13

Alliance for Justice President Nan Aron issued the following statement in response to the vote by the Senate to confirm Judge Patty Shwartz for the United States Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit.

THE TIME FOR EQUALITY IS NOW

03/27/13

My name is Nan Aron. I am the president of Alliance for Justice and I am here on behalf of our over 100 member organizations to stand with you, and the vast majority of the American people, in support of marriage equality. Our Constitution rests on the simple but profound idea that every single one of us is entitled to the equal protection of the law, no matter who we are, or who we love. In a nation truly dedicated to liberty and equality, there is no place for discrimination based on sexual orientation.

STATEMENT OF NAN ARON, PRESIDENT, ALLIANCE FOR JUSTICE, ON THE DECISION OF THE WHITE HOUSE TO WITHDRAW THE NOMINATION OF CAITLIN HALLIGAN FOR THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA CIRCUIT

03/22/13

The withdrawal of this highly-qualified nominee is one more illustration of the extent to which Republicans have used unprecedented, partisan obstruction to hijack the United States Senate. It is still another indication, as if any were needed, that Senate Democrats need to revisit Senate rules reform, and stand up to the tyranny of the minority. We are confident that President Obama now will press ahead with nominating individuals to fill all three D.C. Circuit vacancies still without nominees – and will make the fight for these nominees a top priority.

PROPOSED N.Y. REGULATIONS ON NONPROFITS AND ELECTIONS “RISK CHILLING LEGITIMATE ADVOCACY”

03/08/13

Proposed regulations from the New York State Attorney General aimed at exposing a few “sham” nonprofits involved in electioneering risk chilling legitimate advocacy by nonprofits that represent tens of thousands of New Yorkers, the Alliance for Justice said Friday. “We commend the Attorney General for taking a swing at the wrongdoers,” said Abby Levine, Legal Director of the Alliance for Justice Bolder Advocacy initiative. “But in their current form, the regulations risk impeding legitimate advocacy by groups ranging from the Sierra Club to AARP. Fortunately, some modest changes are all that are needed to allow these regulations to accomplish their important purpose without the collateral damage.”

AFJ: HALLIGAN CLOTURE VOTE SHOWS REPUBLICAN SENATORS ARE “ADDICTED TO OBSTRUCTION”

03/06/13

Today, Republican Senators proved themselves to be addicted to obstruction, and utterly uninterested in putting the needs of the American people ahead of partisan posturing. As a result, for the second time in two years, Americans have been denied the services of a highly qualified nominee to serve on what is widely considered the nation’s second most important court.

AFJ REPORT: OBAMA PICKS UP THE PACE FOR JUDICIAL NOMINATIONS, BUT FEDERAL COURTS REMAIN IN CRISIS

03/05/13

President Obama has “significantly increased” the pace for sending the Senate nominees for federal judgeships, but the nation’s federal courts remain in crisis, according to a new report from Alliance for Justice. Due largely to Republican stalling, both before nominations are submitted to the Senate and after, the number of vacancies on federal courts is nearly double the rate when President Obama first took office.

NOW WE FIND OUT IF RULES REFORM IS FOR REAL

03/04/13

This week, we find out if the agreement reached at the start of the current session to reform Senate rules has any real meaning. Without question, Caitlin Halligan is extraordinarily well qualified for a seat on the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals. Her nomination has strong bipartisan support.The fact that a minority of senators could stop a highly-qualified nominee like Caitlin Halligan in 2011 is a classic example of the misuse of the filibuster for partisan gain that has characterized the current Senate minority. President Obama has renominated Halligan, but Republicans are threatening a filibuster once again.

AFJ: NO EXCUSE TO FILIBUSTER CAITLIN HALLIGAN FOR D.C. CIRCUIT COURT OF APPEALS

03/01/13

An attempt to filibuster the nomination of a highly-qualified nominee for a powerful appellate court is a test of whether Senate rules reform is real or just an empty promise, the Alliance for Justice said Friday. “The fact that a minority of Senators could stop a highly-qualified nominee like Caitlin Halligan is a classic example of the misuse of the filibuster that has characterized the current Senate minority,” said AFJ President Nan Aron.

AFJ PROVIDES COMPREHENSIVE ANALYSIS OF TODAY’S ORAL ARGUMENT ON THE VOTING RIGHTS ACT

02/28/13

: Four legal scholars are posting to the Alliance For Justice Justice Watch blog to provide comprehensive expert analysis of today’s oral argument before the Supreme Court in Shelby County, Ala., v. Holder. The case involves a challenge to a key portion of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, known as “Section 5.”

STATEMENT OF AFJ PRESIDENT NAN ARON, AT THE RALLY IN SUPPORT OF THE VOTING RIGHTS ACT

02/27/13

This is an extraordinarily important day for our country. The fate of one of the most vital tools ever created for political and social justice in America is being argued inside this Court. At stake are the fundamental rights of millions of people of color, but also the integrity of our democracy and our willingness as a society to fulfill the promise of equality for every American. The Voting Rights Act was passed in 1965 to correct the blatant discrimination that prevented millions of Americans from exercising the most fundamental right in a democracy – the right to vote and choose the people who make our laws.

HUMAN RIGHTS LEADERS AROUND THE WORLD URGE U.S. SUPREME COURT TO UPHOLD VOTING RIGHTS ACT

02/25/13

In an unprecedented show of international interest in a Supreme Court case, 22 of the world’s most prominent human rights leaders want the justices to know: The whole world is watching. This week the United States Supreme Court hears a challenge to the Voting Rights Act of 1965, a landmark American civil rights law.

AFJ APPLAUDS COMMITTEE APPROVAL OF 13 NOMINEES, INCLUDING D.C. CIRCUIT NOMINEE CAITLIN HALLIGAN, AND URGES SWIFT FLOOR VOTES

02/14/13

Alliance for Justice applauds the Senate Judiciary Committee’s decision to advance 13 unquestionably qualified nominees to the Senate floor, including Caitlin Halligan’s nomination to the D.C. Circuit. “Ms. Halligan is the personification of the phrase ‘tough, but fair,’” said AFJ President Nan Aron. “She’s a prosecutor who works to enforce the law, but at the same time, to ensure that government power is exercised fairly, and with an understanding of the impact that power has on the lives of individuals, families, and communities.”

AFJ CALLS FOR SWIFT FILLING OF VACANCIES ON NATION’S “SECOND MOST IMPORTANT COURT.”

02/12/13

The creation of yet another vacancy – the fourth – on what is widely-known as the nation’s second most important court is a stark reminder of the urgent need to fill vacancies on that court, the Alliance for Justice said Tuesday. With Judge David Sentelle taking senior status today, the D.C. Circuit now has more vacancies than any other circuit court of appeals. One of these seats has been vacant for more than seven years, another for more than four years. But the Senate has yet to confirm President Obama’s two nominees.

NEW AFJ RESOURCE TRACKS JUDICIAL VACANCIES WITHOUT NOMINATIONS

02/05/13

Much attention has been paid to what happens after someone is nominated to fill a vacancy - in particular the obstruction of nominees by Senate Republicans. But before a nomination ever reaches the Senate it goes through a complex, potentially lengthy process involving the White House and, with few exceptions, a state's two United States Senators. At every step, a nomination can be delayed. In particular, this resource highlights the little-examined role that senators play in the pre-nomination process.

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