By confirming Lawrence VanDyke, Republican Senators have abandoned any pretense that they care about the integrity of the courts or the confirmation process. VanDyke has repeatedly taken hardline positions against environmental protections, LGBTQ equality, gun safety, reproductive freedom, and public education; the Senate confirmed him anyway.
Our Work
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Judicial Nominees
Every day, federal judges protect the Constitution, place a check on overzealous legislatures, and help Americans find justice.
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Bolder Advocacy
Demystifying and decoding advocacy by equipping organizations with knowledge and tools.
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Access to Justice
Over the past several decades, a conservative-led campaign has eviscerated the ability of Americans to have their day in court.
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Supreme Court Cases
We fight to hold the court to the highest ethical standards, and we fight for a court that upholds the rights of everyday Americans.
Press Releases
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Yeomans: The Long-Term Consequences of Quick Impeachment
In a new column at Yeomans Work, Alliance for Justice Senior Fellow Bill Yeomans highlights two significant concerns about how quickly the House is advancing the impeachment of President Trump.
AFJ in the News
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Trump’s Openly Gay Ninth Circuit Nominee Poised for Confirmation
One of two Trump nominees likely to be confirmed to the nation’s largest appeals court this week is an openly gay prosecutor who aided efforts to appoint Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court and consulted on the Trump administration’s zero tolerance Southern border.
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What Trump has done to the courts, explained
In less than three years as president, President Trump has done nearly as much to shape the courts as President Obama did in eight years.
Trump hasn’t simply given lots of lifetime appointments to lots of lawyers. He’s filled the bench with some of the smartest, and some of the most ideologically reliable, men and women to be found in the conservative movement. Long after Trump leaves office, these judges will shape American law — pushing it further and further to the right even if the voters soundly reject Trumpism in 2020.
Blog
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Courts Matter for Workers
Trump’s judges are siding with the wealthy and powerful over the people time and time again. By doing so, they are essentially stealing wages from hard-working people. They likewise create obstacles for working people to adjudicate their claims in court. These judges legally gaslight and side against workers who have suffered discrimination and harassment at work, and exposure to hazardous working conditions. Make no mistake that many of Trump’s judges were nominated and confirmed because of their proven histories of rolling back rights. They will be on the bench decades after the Trump Administration is long gone, fulfilling his plan to eviscerate the rights of working people.
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Kindred Won’t Protect Alaska’s Environment
He has expressed frustration with the “passionate ignorance” of people who do not share his disdain for environmental regulations. He consistently took positions contradicted by science — a troubling trait for someone, who as a judge, will often need to weigh expert testimony. Based on his record and past comments, it is unlikely that groups fighting to protect the health of Alaska’s environment would get a fair shake in his court room.
Yeomans Work
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The Long-Term Consequences of Quick Impeachment
The House leadership has announced its intent to move forward this week with two articles of impeachment in the House Judiciary Committee: one charging that Trump abused the power of the presidency and another charging that he obstructed Congress. Further articles can be proposed in committee, but their adoption is unlikely. Rather the House will be content to proceed expeditiously with tightly drawn articles focused on Ukraine and obstruction of Congress. That pace, which is driven largely by the election calendar, will have at least two consequences that are not in the long-term interests of the country.
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Will Barr’s Insurance Policy Fail?
On December 9, Michael Horowitz, the Inspector General (IG) for the Department of Justice is expected to release his long awaited report on the origins of the Russia investigation. Leaks suggest that the report will conclude that the investigation was properly predicated and did not involve unlawful “spying” on the Trump campaign. Subsequent leaks suggest that Attorney General Barr refuses to accept the IG’s basic conclusions and will fall back on the insurance policy he obtained through appointment of Connecticut U.S. Attorney John Durham to conduct a parallel investigation under Barr’s control.
Featured Resource
Bolder Advocacy: New Guide Is “Roadmap to Success” for Nonprofits Seeking Advocacy Funding
Alliance for Justice’s Bolder Advocacy program is excited to announce that its latest comprehensive guide for nonprofits, “Foundation Advocacy Grants: What Grantees Need to Know,” is now available.
