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 Political Games Further Delaying the Confirmation of Judge Adalberto Jose Jordan to the 11th Circuit

02/14/12

After months of interminable, senseless delays by Republican senators, the nomination of Judge Adalberto José Jordán to a seat on the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals is now being forced to run a final gauntlet of obstruction and political posturing. The nomination of this uncontroversial, widely respected nominee with bipartisan support was subjected to a pointless filibuster that was broken last night in an overwhelming vote of 89-5. But rather than let the nomination proceed immediately to a final vote, a single Republican senator has invoked a rule that has forced the entire business of the Senate to come to a grinding halt for 30 hours until a vote on Judge Jordán must be held.

AFJ Releases Data on the Judicial Nominations Process During the First Three Years of the Obama Administration

01/26/12

In the wake of President Barack Obama’s demand in the State of the Union address “that all judicial and public service nominations receive a simple up or down vote within 90 days,” Alliance for Justice today issued The State of the Judiciary: Judicial Nominations During the First Three Years of the Obama Presidency, a benchmark report detailing the reasons behind the current staffing crisis in the federal court system.

Alliance for Justice Calls on Chief Justice Roberts to Address Ethics Issues in His Annual State of the Judiciary Report

12/22/11

With the time fast approaching for your annual Year-End Report on the Federal Judiciary, I am writing on behalf of Alliance for Justice to respectfully urge you to take advantage of this important opportunity to address questions that have arisen about the ethical standards governing the Supreme Court. We, among many others, are growing increasingly concerned that the recent decline in public approval of the Court is due in part not only to the well-publicized and ethically questionable actions of some justices, but also to the lack of clear and unequivocal precepts governing justices’ behavior.

U.S. Senate Takes Holiday Break, Leaving a Lump of Coal in the Stocking of America's Federal Courts

12/20/11

Once again, the United States Senate has left town for a holiday without fulfilling its obligation to fully staff the federal courts and ensure that justice is available to all Americans. With 100 judicial vacancies in the federal court system, Senate Republicans continued their widely condemned tactics of obstruction and endless delay, and prevented final consideration of 21 nominees who have been cleared by the Senate Judiciary Committee, in most cases with no opposition, and who simply need a final yes-or-no vote to take their seats on the seriously understaffed federal bench.

AFJ Condemns Senate Failure to Confirm Caitlin Halligan

12/06/11

Washington, D.C., December 6, 2011—Today’s vote by Republicans to filibuster the nomination of Caitlin Halligan has shattered any pretense that the judicial confirmation process is being conducted in a rational or honest manner. Ms. Halligan’s record of achievement in public service and private practice is impeccable and there is no conceivable justification for denying her a final vote. The notion advanced by her opponents that she is somehow out of the mainstream of legal thought or holds extreme views is ludicrous and reflects a breathtaking level of dishonesty and hypocrisy.

AFJ Calls on the Senate to End Unwarranted Filibuster and Confirm Caitlin Halligan

12/05/11

Alliance for Justice President Nan Aron issued the following statement on the upcoming cloture vote in the United States Senate on the nomination of Caitlin Halligan to a seat on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit: “Caitlin Halligan is a highly qualified, widely respected attorney and public servant who deserves an affirmative vote in the Senate on her nomination to a seat on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. It’s a measure of how contentious and dysfunctional the confirmation process has become for judicial nominees that someone with such impeccable credentials and widespread support is compelled to run the gauntlet of a completely unwarranted filibuster.

AFJ Calls for Senate Republicans to End Grinch-Like Obstruction and Give the Nation the Gift of New Federal Judges

11/29/11

Washington, D.C., November 29, 2011—Behaving like the Grinches who stole justice, Senate Republicans are continuing their three-year campaign to delay as long as possible final confirmation votes on President Barack Obama’s nominees to the federal courts. There are currently 22 nominees waiting for final action on the Senate floor, in spite of the fact that virtually all of them face no significant opposition and they have spent an average of 194 days working their way through the glacial Senate confirmation process.

Alliance for Justice Praises Letter from 52 Members of Congress Calling for Investigation of Clarence Thomas' Disclosure Lapses

11/21/11

Alliance for Justice today expressed strong support for a letter sent by 52 members of Congress, spearheaded by Reps. Louis Slaughter and Earl Blumenauer, calling on the U.S. Judicial Conference to investigate possible violations of the Ethics in Government Act by Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. The letter echoes a similar request from Alliance for Justice and Common Cause made on October 5, 2011.

AFJ Calls for Reform of Supreme Court Recusal Process in Anticipation of Expected Controversies Involving Health Care Cases

11/14/11

Nan Aron, President of Alliance for Justice, released the following statement on the need for the reform of the recusal process of the United States Supreme Court in the wake of the decision by the Court to hear cases challenging the 2010 health care law: "With the Supreme Court agreeing to hear cases challenging the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act, voices will be heard calling for Justice Clarence Thomas to recuse himself from the case. Serious arguments have been made for Justice Thomas’ recusal and those claims deserve to be fully examined. "

Justices Scalia and Thomas to Attend Federalist Society Fundraising Dinner, Demonstrating Ongoing Lack of Respect for Judicial Ethics

11/09/11

The scheduled speaking appearances by Supreme Court Justices Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas at a fundraising dinner at the Federalist Society National Lawyers Convention on Thursday, November 10, plainly violates the principles outlined in the Code of Conduct for United States Judges. Their planned participation in this event once again calls attention to the disregard some justices have for commonly accepted ethical boundaries and to the need to formally apply the Code to Supreme Court justices.

Alliance for Justice Releases Documentary Film Calling for Reform of Supreme Court Ethics Rules

10/24/11

Narrated by actor and activist Edward James Olmos, A Question of Integrity presents evidence that in recent years some Supreme Court justices have participated in overtly political gatherings, inappropriately lent their names to private fundraising events, maintained financial and personal relationships with individuals and institutions that create the appearance of impropriety, and failed to disclose financial information as required by federal law. The result has been a crisis of credibility for the Court and a growing chorus for institutional reforms to clarify the ethical obligations of justices and to enhance transparency and accountability when potential conflicts of interest arise.

Report Exposes Supreme Court's Promotion of Forced Arbitration to Protect Corporations at the Expense of Everyday Americans

10/12/11

Alliance for Justice today released a report exposing repeated and aggressive efforts by the conservative majority on the United States Supreme Court to radically rewrite the laws governing arbitration in order to shield corporations from liability. "Arbitration Activism: How the Corporate Court Helps Business Evade Our Civil Justice System" details ways in which the Supreme Court’s rulings in cases like AT&T Mobility v. Concepcion and Rent-a-Center West v. Jackson have “allowed big business to abuse forced arbitration contracts, building up a privatized legal system that robs everyday Americans of the chance to be heard by an impartial judge and jury.”

Twenty-One National and Local Consumer Organizations Caution Congressional Deficit Reduction Committee Against Including Medical Malpractice Limits in Deficit Proposal

10/07/11

Twenty-one major consumer and patient safety groups from around the country, whose memberships represent many millions of Americans, sent a letter today to the co-chairs of the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction expressing strong opposition to any proposals that would limit the legal rights of patients injured by medical malpractice. The groups argue, “Such legal limits would not only severely harm already injured patients but also they would increase the deficit in significant ways. Moreover, imposing federal malpractice laws on all 50 states would be an unprecedented interference with states and the work of local judges and juries.

Backed by New Information, AFJ Joins Common Cause in Urging the Judicial Conference to Investigate Whether Clarence Thomas Has Violated Federal Disclosure Laws

10/05/11

The letter states that “between 1997-2007, Justice Thomas checked the box ‘none’ for spousal income on his annual financial disclosure forms, despite the fact that Virginia Thomas earned income from several organizations during this time period, including the Heritage Foundation.” Information acquired by Common Cause and AFJ shows that Virginia Thomas received over $1.6 million in income during that period, and although the disclosure forms do not require that the amounts of spousal income be revealed, the fact of her employment should have been reported.

Alliance for Justice Releases Report on Key Supreme Court Case That Tests the Ability of Everyday Americans to Challenge State Actions That Violate Federal Law

09/30/11

Alliance for Justice today released a report detailing the facts and far-reaching implications of Douglas v. Independent Living Center of Southern California, one of the most important cases of the upcoming Supreme Court term. The Court will hear arguments on Monday, October 3, the first day of the session.

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