The Supreme Court Is Not Working for All of Us

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

Contact: Rachel Hooper, [email protected]

WASHINGTON — Maya Wiley, president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, released the following statement after a report of the infiltration of the U.S. Supreme Court to roll back fundamental civil and human rights:

“We are deeply alarmed by recent reports detailing the infiltration of the U.S. Supreme Court in an effort to influence its most extreme members. We must be clear: Efforts to coordinate the emboldening of ultra-conservative, anti-civil and human rights agendas are not only unethical — they are anti-democratic and have no place in our nation. Attempts to rig the Court’s decisions, roll back our rights, and harm our communities are unacceptable and must be met with immediate action.

“The Supreme Court must be more fair, more just, and serve everyone equally — today and for generations to come. We applaud Senator Sheldon Whitehouse and Representative Hank Johnson for their renewed efforts in the wake of these reports, and we thank Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Dick Durbin, who urged meaningful change to the ethical standards of the Court and has said his committee is reviewing these allegations. That all matters.

“The seriousness of these reports make clear that Congress must also act to legislate more fairness into our judiciary so that it truly provides equal justice for all of us — and not just a powerful few. Lawmakers must modernize and strengthen our federal judiciary by shoring up ethics and transparency reforms, such as extending the Code of Conduct for United States Judges to apply to Supreme Court justices. All potential structural changes to the Court should be meaningfully explored.

“These reports also demonstrate why having fair-minded judges matters. The Leadership Conference and our coalition will continue to insist that the president nominate, and that the Senate confirm, impartial judges and justices who are committed to the civil and human rights of all people and who possess professionally and demographically diverse backgrounds that will inform their vital role on the bench. Our communities depend on federal courts and federal judges to fairly administer justice — and we must do everything to ensure that they do.”

The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights is a coalition charged by its diverse membership of more than 230 national organizations to promote and protect the rights of all persons in the United States. The Leadership Conference works toward an America as good as its ideals. For more information on The Leadership Conference and its member organizations, visit www.civilrights.org.

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