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Act Now to End the Federal Judicial Crisis


AAUW Action Network

With all of the attention on the presidential and congressional elections right now, it can be easy to forget that there’s a third branch of government. But the judicial branch is just as important – and it needs our help.

Our constitutional rights and individual liberties are protected by a strong and effective judiciary. But our courts are in crisis because of the “judicial emergency” created by vacancies in courtrooms nationwide. Why? Because an average of 1 out of every 10 judicial seats is vacant nationwide.

Ask your senators to help protect our freedoms by moving forward with judicial confirmations!

A strong judiciary is critical to American women. Not only can the federal courts be a shield for civil rights laws like Title IX and the Equal Pay Act, but they’re also often the last, best hope for women who have experienced discrimination in education, employment, health care, and in other aspects of their lives. Yet with the Senate dragging its heels, we’ve got 32 federal courts in a state of “judicial emergency,” which means there are far too few judges to keep up with all the cases. Half of these courts have pending nominees – but the Senate still hasn’t acted to fill those vacancies.

Furthermore, the slow confirmation process is also affecting the diversity of the courts. While President Obama has nominated an impressive number of women and people of color for the bench, that’s only half the battle. The only way to increase the diversity of the judiciary is for the Senate to confirm qualified nominees. Of the 32 nominees pending before the Senate, 19 of them are women or people of color. This is not acceptable.

To be sure, President Obama has not been nominating people to fill the vacancies as quickly as he could – and AAUW has told him that. But the fact remains that there are 32 nominees, 22 of whom have already been approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee, that the Senate could confirm when it returns from recess next month.

So that’s why we need you to send a message to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY). Ask your senators to urge Sens. Reid and McConnell to quickly call for confirmation of the federal judicial nominees from your state and move all consensus nominations to the Senate floor immediately for confirmation.

The vacancy crisis can have an easy solution, but we need your help. To send a letter to your senators, click the “Take Action” link or visit AAUW’s Two-Minute Activist.

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YouTube …


Recently, President Obama met with some youth with disabilities. He wanted to hear their thoughts about the future of disability policy. So, he sat down with participants from the American Association of People with Disabilities internship program. These young people are passionate and strong representatives for millions of people with disabilities across the country. They represent a brighter future for America. President Obama is ready to stand with them each and every day.More
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# FORWARD


Aug 18, 2012 by    

Help build this campaign: http://OFA.BO/nHAK2p
Four years ago as I had the privilege to travel all across this country and meet Americans from all walks of life.
I decided nobody else should have to endure the heartbreak of a broken health care system. No one in the wealthiest nation on earth should go broke because they get sick.
Nobody should have to tell their daughters or sons the decisions they can and cannot make for themselves are constrained because of some politicians in Washington.
And thanks to you we’ve made a difference in people’s lives. Thanks to you there are folks that I meet today who have gotten care and their cancer’s been caught. And they’ve got treatment. And they are living full lives and it happened because of you.
We’ve come too far to turn back now. We’ve got too much work to do to implement health care. We’ve got too much work to do to create good jobs.
We’ve got too many teachers that we’ve got to hire.  We’ve got too many schools that we’ve got to rebuild. We’ve got too many students who still need affordable higher education.
There’s more homegrown energy to generate. There more troops that we’ve got to bring home.
There more doors of opportunity we’ve got to open to anybody who is willing to work hard and walk through those doors.
We’ve got to keep building an economy where no matter what you look like or where you come from, you can make it here if you try.
And you can leave something behind for the next generation, that’s what at stake right now Colorado. That’s why I’m running for President of the United States of America.
That’s why I’m asking for your vote. I still believe in you. And if you still believe in me, and if you’re willing to stand with me, and knock on some doors with me, and make some phone calls with me, and talk to your neighbor and friends about what’s at stake—we will win this election. We will finish what we started.
And we’ll remind the world why America is the greatest nation on earth.
God bless you and God bless the United States of America.

Aug 18, 2012 by    

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President Obama was at a grassroots event in Rochester, NH to discuss middle-class economic security. President Obama has already cut taxes for a typical New Hampshire family by $4,200 over four years, helping families afford to send their children to college, buy their first home, pay for health care and child care.
The centerpiece of the Romney-Ryan economic proposals is a $5 trillion tax cut, with a lot of it going to the wealthiest Americans. In addition, Romney and Ryan put forward a plan that would let Governor Romney pay less than 1% in taxes each year. And this tax plan would actually raise taxes on middle-class families with children by an average of $2,000.

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Are You In ?


Elizabeth Banks …
As a working mom in Hollywood today, I’m lucky to have the resources I need to take care of myself and my son. But that wasn’t always the case.

When I graduated from college over 15 years ago, I was unemployed and uninsured. I turned to the only place that would provide me with health care at a rate I could afford: Planned Parenthood.

What Mitt Romney forgets when he says he wants to “get rid of that” organization is that, for many women, the fight over Planned Parenthood isn’t controversial — it’s about our health.

I recorded a quick video sharing my own Planned Parenthood story — and why I’m proud that my president supports this great organization.

Check it out, then make a few calls to let other women know why it matters to you.

One in five women will rely on Planned Parenthood for medical services like cancer screenings and pap smears at some point in their lives. Seventy-five percent of Planned Parenthood patients have incomes below 150 percent of the poverty line — for many working women, the organization is quite literally a life-saver. It is the leading women’s reproductive health care provider and advocate. It’s there for us when no one else is.

The fight over Planned Parenthood is part of a larger debate about issues that, for most women, are intensely personal decisions: birth control and reproductive health. But now more than ever, it’s important to talk to women about our personal experiences and ask them to step up and get involved — the Republicans who want to take us back to the ’50s need to know the consequences of their actions.

For me, birth control wasn’t originally a tool for preventing pregnancy. It was prescribed to me when hormonally-induced migraines kept me locked up in dark rooms for days. I took it again when I had painful cramps. And when I wanted to have children, I got on the pill again, because it helped regulate my cycle for IVF. Thanks to family planning, today I’m the proud mother of a one-year-old son.

That’s why I’m working hard to re-elect President Obama. He respects and values women. He knows that the government has no business restricting access to affordable birth control, cancer screenings, and the preventive care that Planned Parenthood provides. President Obama has not compromised on women’s rights — he’s fighting for us.

So we’ve got to fight for him. Help spread the word by making a few calls and sharing your story with others about why these issues matter to you:

Why-I-Support-President-Obama

Thanks,

Elizabeth Banks