Kavanaugh confirmation is in serious trouble. 9/18/18

Many topics were covered at the 9/18/18 #StopKavanaugh protest, including the threat Kavanaugh poses to disabled people, his views and comments about Native Hawaiians’ rights, and the current status of Kavanaugh’s situation thanks to Dr. Christine Blasey Ford’s accusation of sexual assault. The article includes links to the speeches on threats to disabled people and how the confirmation situation is in serious trouble. Speakers were at the Tuesdays With Tillis rally in front of Senator Thom Tillis’ office. Tillis is on the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Chanting outside of Senator Tillis’ office in Raleigh. Photo Credit: Michael Eisenberg

Kavanaugh is a right-wing ideologue (it takes a special talent to see birth control as a form of abortion) whose confirmation would endanger health care, workers rights, women’s control of their own bodies, voting rights, consumer protection and more, for generations. He also sounds more like a Republican politician than a conservative judge, as Senator Dianne Feinstein said in her LA Times op-ed,”Why I’m voting ‘no’ on Brett Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court nomination.”

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“Dare To Struggle, Dare To Win” Message at #StopKavanaugh Rally on 9/11/18

We had many exceptional speakers at the #StopKavanaugh rally at Senator Thom Tillis’ office on 9/11/18. Five of of our regulars spent days in Washington DC at the #KavanaughConfirmationHearings. Four of five of them got arrested as part of their protesting.

Photo Credit: Michael Eisenberg

Rev. Dr. Portia Rochelle, president of the Raleigh/Apex NAACP spoke of dangers of Kavanaugh and also of NAACP suing over perjury! She talked about what a Kavanaugh on the Supreme Court will be like for minorities and for women. “Appointing #Kavanaugh would result in civil rights rollbacks.” Also .. there would be “rollbacks in voting rights, reproductive rights, health care – things that affect our daily living.”

Series of podcast summaries of Kavanaugh hearings

Sharing the series of summaries on the #KavanaughConfirmationHearings. Here is the set for the first week from this legal journalism team on rewire.com. So worth hearing!

 

Day 1 – https://rewire.news/multimedia/podcast/boom-lawyered-kavanaugh-hearing-day-one-changing-the-rules/

 

Day 2 – https://rewire.news/multimedia/podcast/boom-lawyered-kavanaugh-hearing-day-two-stolen-emails/

 

Day 3 – https://rewire.news/multimedia/podcast/boom-lawyered-kavanaugh-hearing-day-three-exposed/

Day 4 – https://rewire.news/multimedia/podcast/boom-lawyered-kavanaugh-hearing-day-four-witness/

Media Advisory: Stop Kavanaugh 2, 9/11/18, in Raleigh

Activists rally again in Raleigh to demand that Senator Thom Tillis reject Supreme Court Justice nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh. As was revealed in the hearings last week, Kavanaugh commited perjury in current testimony and in testimony to become a Circuit Court judge in 2006 and 2018!! Also, the Senate Confirmation leadership pushed through the confirmation hearings in terrible circumstances and many valid complaints, like 1) not having access to much of Kavanaugh’s work in the White House under President George W. Bush, 2)  getting access to 42,000 more pages just the night before the hearings began, 3) President being investigated for crimes related to ‘winning’ the presidential election, etc. Last week, we had speakers cover many areas that Kavanaugh threatens, and this week we have more areas to cover.

In addition, we have our own sheroes and heroes who went to the confirmation hearings in Washington DC to protest and got arrested one or more times on our behalf! We will hear some of their exciting stories.

David Freeman and Ruth Zalph after another arrest at the Kavanaugh confirmation hearings in Washington DC!! Photo Credit: David Freeman

Here are some of our speakers:

#StopKavanaugh Event Summary, Raleigh, 9/4/18

The first day of the Senate Confirmation Hearings on nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh were like a three ring circus. Democrats protested loudly that most of Kavanaugh’s work records had not been released to them.  Senators and protesters took turns interrupting the event – all with good reason. Including that “hours before Kavanaugh nomination hearings, Bush lawyer releases 42,000 pages of documents to Judiciary Committee!“

Multiple media sources ran articles and video with the same title in print – “Chaos marks start of Kavanaugh hearings!” 9/4/18, Washington Post. Online longer titles were used, like “Partisan fury bursts into the open as Kavanaugh hearings begin.” But it wasn’t only Democrats who were trying to delay the hearing to make for a fairer and more informed process. Most of the protesters are women.  The same article said, “The protesters, who were predominantly women, repeatedly heckled the senators and Kavanaugh, arguing that installing Trump’s second pick to the Supreme Court would irreparably end access to abortion and dismantle the Affordable Care Act.” 

My favorite summary of Day One is two women reviewing it on Rewired.com at “Boom! Lawyered: Kavanaugh Hearing, Day One—Changing the Rules.”

Regrouping after the walking and chanting phase, getting ready for another set of speakers. Photo Credit: Gailya Paliga

Women Rising Up NOW! In Raleigh on 10/20/18

We have record numbers of women running for office in 2018 because women are rising up! We have women organizing regular protests around the state – NC has weekly protests in Raleigh and Wilmington! Mostly women are protesting at the Kavanaugh hearings and around the state and country. Because Women are Rising Up NOW! 

Please join us at our NC NOW State conference to meet some of these women in NC and learn some skills to help you rise up as well! 

We are honored to announce that our keynote speaker is Civil Rights attorney, Anita Earls.

Civil Rights Attorney Anita Earls at Women’s Rally On Raleigh, 1/20/18. Photo Credit: Yevonne Brannon

#SaveScotus and #SaveRoe Town Hall Summaries – Aug 2018

The last two town hall events of the #SaveScotus/#SaveRoe across the state were the last week of August, 2018. Here is a summary of both, with pictures.

The #SaveScotus town hall for the Triad was at Forsyth Central Library in Winston-Salem on 8/29/18. Jen Ferris from Progress North Carolina moderated (see her standing by podium in the picture). Panelists (pictured) are Elizabeth Freeze, Director of Philanthropy at Planned Parenthood Votes South Atlantic; Gailya Paliga, President of NC NOW; and Alicia Diggs, Board Secretary of NC AIDS Action Network (NCAAN). Ms. Diggs is also a medical case manager at Positive Wellness Alliance in Lexington, so she deals directly with patients.

       #SaveSCOTUS town hall in Winston-Salem on 8/29/18
       People kept coming in! Photo Credit: Matt Martin

Stop Kavanaugh Events Around NC – starting 9/4/18

The Senate Confirmation Hearings for Judge Brett Kavanaugh begin on 9/4/18. Protests are planned around the state this week, many on Tuesday, September 4th. Feel free to make your own and post in a comment or email president at raleighnow.org so we can help advertise. 

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These events are focused on our US Senators, Thom Tillis and Richard Burr, since our Senators get to vote on this nomination. In fact, it is their Senate duty of “advice and consent.” Under the Constitution, presidential nominations for executive and judicial posts take effect only when confirmed by the Senate. The Senate’s job is to make sure the nominee is qualified, and if not, to vote no. 

#SaveScotus rally in Raleigh on 7/10/18 with Tuesdays With Tillis group. Photo Credit: Gailya Paliga

Raleigh at Tillis’ office- The weekly Tuesdays With Tillis rally topic is “Stop Kavanaugh.” We always have a great showing for these, but this week we’re pulling in speakers on a variety of topics – reproductive rights, LGBTQ rights, civil rights/discrimination, environment, workers’ rights, abortion access threats, immigrant rights, threats to Planned Parenthood services. These areas and more are threatened should Brett Kavanaugh get a lifetime appointment on the US Supreme Court.
Date: Tuesday, 9/4/18
Time: 11:30am-12:30pm
Place: 310 New Bern Ave, Raleigh NC
Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/587332478330068/.

Charlotte  – Grassroots protest on the first day of confirmation hearings.

Town Halls Around NC – #SaveRoe and #SaveSCOTUS – August 2018

The threat to overturn the historic Roe v Wade decision, as well as threat to women’s basic health care in general, has increased since the election of 45, the nominations of both Neil Gorsuch (now seated on SCOTUS, Supreme Court Of The United States) and Brett Kavanaugh. We must stand firm and fight for the preservation of reproductive rights and the sanctity of #SCOTUS.  Make plans to attend any town hall meetings near you to show your support for Roe and SCOTUS. These town halls are hosted by Progress North Carolina, NC NOW, Naral Pro-choice North Carolina, Equality NC, Action NC and more organizations.

Upcoming events:

Update on 8/22/18: the Triad #SaveScotus event is being rescheduled from 8/23/18 to 8/29/18.

Action: Stop #SCOTUS Nomination – Save Roe, Save America!

Senator Thom Tillis is sending out emails asking constituents to sign a petition in support of #SCOTUS nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh! Tillis sent out at least two emails about this petition already – one last Friday (the 13th) and one on 7/16/18, the same day of Trump’s #TreasonSummit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Helsinki. Read more about Kavanaugh and take action here.

The truth is that Kavanaugh has made some very shocking rulings and has very surprising ideas (like that a sitting president is above the law). You can read this two page summary from Yale Law Students, Alumni, and Educators Regarding Brett Kavanaugh’s previous rulings, and the original letter with signatures is on googledoc here.  (I know not everyone can access googledocs.) The Yale letter summarizes itself as follows.