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The Supreme Court Matters to Us All
National Education Association ^ | 10 July A.D. 2018 | Lily Esklesen Garcia

Posted on 07/10/2018 5:18:33 PM PDT by lightman

The Supreme Court Matters to Us Allv

July 10, 2018 by Lily

Categories: I just had to say this

Tags: justice, U.S. Supreme Court

We are all susceptible to being lulled into a false sense of security that makes us think all is right with the world, or at least our little corner of it. But if you needed a reminder that these times are anything but normal, you just got it by way of the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent rulings, and Donald Trump’s nominee to the court: Brett Kavanaugh.

The justices delivered an eardrum-splitting, 200-decibel wakeup call in the term that just ended. Their decisions said everything about how central the court is to the lives of everyday Americans. If Kavanaugh is confirmed as the next justice, the court will further advance an agenda that favors the wealthy and powerful.

In case you don’t quite get just how much the justices (who hold lifetime appointments) matter, here is a quick rundown of some of their most pivotal rulings this year.

The justices:

Weakened the right of educators and other working people to come together in their unions and through collective bargaining advocate for fair pay, benefits, and working conditions (Janus v. AFSCME, a 5-4 vote)

Let stand Donald Trump’s executive order banning travelers and refugees from certain Muslim-majority countries (Trump v. Hawaii, a 5-4 vote)

Decided that Ohio’s practice of purging citizens from its voting rolls because they were infrequent voters did not violate the National Voter Registration Act (Husted v. A. Philip Randolph Institute, a 5-4 vote)

Made it more difficult for workers to file class action lawsuits against employers’ abuses at work (Epic Systems Corp. v. Lewis, a 5-4 vote)

Ruled in favor of a Colorado baker who refused to bake a wedding cake for a same-sex couple, validating a business’s decision to deny goods and services to gay people (Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission, a 7-2 vote)

Dismissed a case about whether drawing the lines in statewide election maps specifically for partisan reasons is unconstitutional (Gill v. Whitford)

What’s at stake is our health care system, our right to organize together to advocate for fair pay and benefits for ourselves and resources for our students, reproductive rights for women, sensible gun restrictions, environmental and consumer protections, and whether the president can be held accountable under the law.

Consider the court’s past rulings related to education. Many expanded opportunities for students: Brown v. Board of Education obliterated the idea of “separate but equal.” Fisher v. University of Texas at Austin upheld the use of a race-conscious admissions program to cultivate more-diverse campuses. Plyer v. Doe upheld the right of all students, regardless of their immigration status, to a free public education.

Keep in mind that the Supreme Court is the only institution in our federal government whose primary purpose is to protect the rights of the minority, those who might otherwise not have a voice in our institutions. That means the next justice absolutely must not be beholden to partisan or corporate interests.

But Kavanaugh shows such favoritism toward the wealthy and powerful that one of the best-known corporate-funded organizations, the Heritage Foundation, has given him its seal of approval. That is definitely not good for working people.

We cannot trust Kavanaugh to protect students and educators. In fact, he has praised rulings and legal theories that make it OK to spend public money on religious institutions. He’s even said that a future Supreme Court will uphold vouchers, which take resources away from the public schools that 90 percent of students attend. And now, he is poised to be a member of that “future” court.

Now that you understand how important the next justice will be to our future, tell everyone you know!

Educators in state after state are going #RedForEd and demanding fair pay, benefits, and resources for their students and schools. We must turn that same level of activism to the U.S. Supreme Court.

We cannot let Donald Trump tip the scales by putting Brett Kavanaugh on the U.S. Supreme Court.

Take the pledge and commit to talking to nine people about the importance of the court.

The stakes in our nation are higher than ever. The next justice on the U.S. Supreme Court should be a fair-minded constitutionalist who is honest, open-minded, appreciates how the law affects all Americans, and shares our belief in equality and justice for all. The next justice should protect the rights of all Americans and keep us safe from abuses of power by politicians who behave more like autocratic dictators than elected servant-leaders. Brett Kavanaugh should not be the next justice.

Are you willing to talk to nine people about the U.S. Supreme Court? Our future depends on it.


TOPICS: Government; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: brettkavanaugh; dncjudicialactivist; fedjudgepresident; fud; juckthefudge; kavanaugh; maga; nea; presidenttrump; scotus
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The NEA's finest in action:


1 posted on 07/10/2018 5:18:33 PM PDT by lightman
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To: lightman

The Left wants one of 600 black-robed clown judge-presidents to be able to tell 310 million of us what to do, and then have 5 Supreme black-robed clowns rubber-stamp the tyranny.


2 posted on 07/10/2018 5:21:29 PM PDT by kiryandil (Never pick a fight with an angry beehive)
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To: lightman

There are currently 874 authorized Article III judgeships: nine on the Supreme Court, 179 on the courts of appeals, nine on the Court of International Trade and 677 for the district courts.


3 posted on 07/10/2018 5:23:31 PM PDT by kiryandil (Never pick a fight with an angry beehive)
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To: lightman

The Supreme Court delivered a mortal blow to the teacher’s union during the most recent session. They will be all but gone before Trump nominates another SC Justice. The Supreme Court does matter and the appointment of Gorsuch turned the corner against these corrupt Democrat institutions.


4 posted on 07/10/2018 5:24:11 PM PDT by centurion316 (Back from exile from 4/2016 until 4/2018.)
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To: kiryandil

“The Supreme Court Matters to Us All”

No shit.


5 posted on 07/10/2018 5:24:37 PM PDT by Bonemaker (invictus maneo)
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To: lightman

6 posted on 07/10/2018 5:25:24 PM PDT by Ken H (Best election ever!)
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To: centurion316

Indeed.

I’m thankful for the Janus decision...saves my household $1000.00 a year which had gone to an organization which works against our interest.


7 posted on 07/10/2018 5:26:56 PM PDT by lightman (Obama's legacy in 13 letters: BLM, ISIS, & ANTIFA. New axis of evil.)
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To: centurion316; Bonemaker
The Democrats hedge their bets with Ginsbonite.


8 posted on 07/10/2018 5:27:35 PM PDT by kiryandil (Never pick a fight with an angry beehive)
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To: lightman

The NEA hates the six listed decisions, some of the best in SCOTUS history.


9 posted on 07/10/2018 5:28:20 PM PDT by Sasparilla ( I'm Not Tired of Winning)
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To: lightman

“Keep in mind that the Supreme Court is the only institution in our federal government whose primary purpose is to protect the rights of the minority, those who might otherwise not have a voice in our institutions.“

1. Um, no, teach. Dead wrong. The Supreme Court is the final judge in all cases involving laws of Congress, and the highest law of all, the Constitution.

2. If teachers are so concerned about “the rights of the minority, those who might otherwise not have a voice in our institutions”, then they must scream for the rights of the unborn, who have zero voice anywhere.

To think that these people ‘teach’ our children...


10 posted on 07/10/2018 5:29:49 PM PDT by polymuser (Its terrible to contemplate how few politicians are hanged today. - Chesterto)
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To: Bonemaker

Liberals believe the SCOTUS is a sort of super-legislature created to make laws they want.

They’re panicked all that’s coming to an end. And they have no way to stop it,

Good.


11 posted on 07/10/2018 5:32:07 PM PDT by goldstategop (In Memory Of A Dearly Beloved Friend Who Lives In My Heart Forever)
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To: lightman

ESAD, NEA.


12 posted on 07/10/2018 5:33:09 PM PDT by dsc (Our system of government cannot survive one-party control of communications.)
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To: lightman

That crap right there is why the kids are eating Tide pods, shooting up their schools and murdering their classmates. Those AREN’T “teachers”. They’re radical @$$holes.


13 posted on 07/10/2018 5:38:52 PM PDT by FlingWingFlyer (Don't pass up the opportunity to use the Second Amendment today! IT'S FREE!)
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To: lightman
"He may be a son-of-a-bitch, but he's not our son-of-a-bitch!"
14 posted on 07/10/2018 5:41:19 PM PDT by Mr Ramsbotham (Laws against sodomy are honored in the breech.)
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To: lightman; centurion316; Bonemaker; Ken H; Sasparilla; polymuser; goldstategop; dsc; ...
"Justice Elena Kagan, who before being seated at the Court served as the dean of Harvard Law School, hired [Brett] Kavanaugh to teach at the school."

Whoops.

15 posted on 07/10/2018 5:48:45 PM PDT by kiryandil (Never pick a fight with an angry beehive)
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To: kiryandil

I’m sure that she wasn’t pleased when Kavanaugh started a first assignment for his courses: read the Constitution.


16 posted on 07/10/2018 5:52:23 PM PDT by centurion316 (Back from exile from 4/2016 until 4/2018.)
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To: polymuser

The NEA makes up facts like they want the Supremes to make up laws.

Reminds me of little liars throwing a tantrum in the market telling mom why she is unfair for not giving in to all their desires.


17 posted on 07/10/2018 5:52:50 PM PDT by American in Israel (A wise man's heart directs him to the right, but the foolish mans heart directs him toward the left.)
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To: kiryandil

Can’t wait to see the mummy of that.


18 posted on 07/10/2018 6:00:36 PM PDT by Bonemaker (invictus maneo)
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To: lightman

>>”Take the pledge and commit to talking to nine people about the importance of the court.”<<

She forgot to add: “And when you talk to them, make sure they understand it’s the Court’s job to interpret and enforce law. Not to create it out of thin air.”

Wonder how she could have forgotten the most important part?!


19 posted on 07/10/2018 6:07:10 PM PDT by KyCats
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To: lightman

So many lost, ignorant, Godless women in our classrooms in America...


20 posted on 07/10/2018 6:07:45 PM PDT by polymuser (Its terrible to contemplate how few politicians are hanged today. - Chesterto)
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