Will SCOTUS Legislate From The Bench (2020)?

The Supreme Court of the United States, SCOTUS, is taking up some crucial cases, and the fear is they will reverse precedent and legislate from the bench. If they do this, it would be up to Congress to fix, if and when they are able. Fear of an out of control SCOTUS is why women and allies across the nation protested so mightily during the hearing of Brett Kavanaugh in summer and fall of 2018. See Stop Kavanaugh Events Around NC – starting 9/4/18  and other articles on protests before and during Kavanaugh trial. NOW, SCOTUS seems to be going after not just women’s right to reproductive access but also fair treatment of LGBTQUI people and also city government’s ability to make their own policies. 

The case that first got my attention is the Louisiana anti-abortion case described at Dangerous Times: SCOTUS to Revisit Roe v. Wade starting March 4, 2020, but there are more. Reproductive access and fairness for LGBTQUI people are top issue for NOW members.

#SaveScotus event in Raleigh on 7/10/18 Photo Credit: Gailya Paliga

 

Dangerous Times: SCOTUS to Revisit Roe v. Wade starting March 4, 2020

On March 4, 2020, the US Supreme Court (SCOTUS) starts hearings on a case that could “eviscerate the availability of abortion care, and which also could significantly undermine abortion access—particularly for those who already have limited access—as well as patients’ ability to enforce in court the right to have an abortion.” The case is June Medical Services, LLC v. Russo (formerly June Medical Services, LLC v. Gee), and it is a challenge to a Louisiana law requiring abortion providers to have admitting privileges at a local hospital. Louisiana has enacted this law knowing that it was unconstitutional. The law is identical to a Texas law that was struck down by the Supreme Court in 2016, 3 years before the Supreme Court decided to take this case on. That decision should have settled the issue. More than that, by Louisiana’s request to add another aspect to the case, this case could take away the ability for abortion providers to sue on behalf of their patients, as they’ve been doing for decades. 

Photo Credit: Melba Evans

Stop Endangering Women’s Lives Event Summary – 9/10/19

Advocates from NC National Organization of Women, NARAL Pro-Choice NC, Planned Parenthood South Atlantic, Action NC, Tuesdays with Tillis, MomsRisingNC and others rallied outside of Senator Thom Tillis’ Raleigh office to demand an end to policies which restrict women’s access to reproductive and other health care. Threats range from various bills banning abortions, to giving away taxpayer money to religious anti-abortion clinics, to cutting off a trusted and proven provider of real medical care to the women most impacted by attacks on reproductive health access. 

Dani Hoffpauir speaking about Planned Parenthood and Title X – Photo Credit: Gailya Paliga

Paliga: Trump is Terrible for Women

NC NOW’s president gave a speech on how Terrible Trump has been for women at a rally in Raleigh on 6/15/19. 

Ralliers on this corner and across New Bern as well. Photo Credit: Jacalyn Engler

I know Trump does bad things so quickly it’s hard to follow them all, but even back at the first 100 day mark he was a disaster.

ERA: Alyssa Milano Wants It. How About You?

Women have been working to get equal rights in the United States for 170 years! Too many people don’t realize women don’t have equal rights. Why is ERA catching fire now? What will it do for women and families? How can you help? North Carolina women are pushing now and pushing hard! Learn more and join the effort!

Actresses Alyssa Milano and Patricia Arquette are on board, and using their star power to bring more attention to the need for ERA. Milano said at a press conference in DC, “It’s 2019 and I still don’t have equal rights under the Constitution. Neither do any of you, the nearly 162 million women across the U.S. The absurdity is mind-boggling: because I have a vagina, my opportunities for equality and justice are limited.”

Patricia Arquette and Alyssa Milano in front. Ellie Smeal behind. 

Make Your Pro-Choice Statement!

With the confirmation of Judge Kavanaugh to the U.S. Supreme Court, there is more danger than ever before that Roe v. Wade could be overturned or its application severely restricted. If federal protection for abortion rights is denied or diminished, the battle to defend women’s reproductive rights will shift to the states. Here in North Carolina, the forces for abortion rights have been historically strong, but in this political climate our voices must grow stronger and our support for a woman’s right to choose must become more visible. The pro-choice signature ad is one way to make your support for choice visible.

Show your support for access to safe and legal abortion NOW by joining in on the Pro-Choice Signature Ad (2019)  and/or making a donation! NC NOW runs a pro-choice signature ad in the Indy Weekly (previously known as The Independent Weekly) every year. The ad runs in January, timed with the January 22 anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision (1/22/73) that gave women control over their bodies and lives. 2019 marks the 46th anniversary of Roe! The signature ad commemorates Roe v. Wade, and also raises money for NOW’s work in North Carolina.

Make your statement (I’m Pro-Choice Too!) by including your name in the ad and/or by making a donation to NC NOW.

Media Advisory: Women Rising Up NOW: NC NOW State Conference October 20, 2018

October 10, 2018

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT:
Gailya Paliga, President, NC National Organization for Women, president@raleighnow.org, www.northcarolinanow.org

Lori Bunton, NC NOW VP of Membership, lbunton53@gmail.com

WOMEN RISING UP NOW: NC NOW STATE CONFERENCE ON OCTOBER 20, 2018

Raleigh, NC, 10/10/18 – North Carolina National Organization for Women (NOW) will hold its annual conference on October 20 from 9 am to 4 pm at NC Advocates for Justice building in Raleigh. We are proud to announce our keynote speaker is civil rights attorney Anita Earls. This year’s conference theme is ‘Women Rising Up NOW!’

Never has the need been greater than in 2018 for women to push back and move forward. Decades of progress towards women’s equality is being turned back by the current administrations in Washington, D.C., and in North Carolina. “When injustice becomes law, resistance becomes duty,” Thomas Jefferson said so long ago.

October #StopKavanaugh Events – Women are Rising Up! 2018

We already know about three #StopKavanaugh this first week of October, 2018. And I know a lot of women and allies will get out and party when this unfit #SCOTUS nominee goes down, either for his history of sexual assault or his perjury during the 2018 and 2006 hearings. He should be disqualified based on his terrible behavior during the Ford/Kavanaugh hearing alone (see cartoon). We are counting on the FBI to do its job, and to help them, many of Kavanaugh’s former classmates have publicly contradicted what Bratt Kavanaugh said about his drinking, his temper, and the sexual things written in his yearbook.  Since he lied about those basic things, how can he believed on anything else.

Weekly rallies at Senator Thom Tillis’ office in Raleigh include this walk around the fence, so his staff can see us! Photo Credit: Michael Eisenberg

Insightful #BelieveWomen Posts on Social Media

Capturing some great posts about the Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing with Dr. Christine Blasey Ford and Judge Brett #Kavanaugh testifying on Thursday, 9/27/18. Will the Senate Judiciary Committee actually take a vote tomorrow when only one of many accusations will have been heard in any way by the committee, and this one barely explored, not investigated. This is a crazy way to handle these accusations which are part of Kavanaugh’s job interview. As his potential employer, I’d be running like the wind to get away from him. But also, there are 5 major different accusations against Kavanaugh, each of which has other related witnesses. Just talking to the first woman, with no witnesses and no plans to talk to other people, is completely insufficient for any investigation. We need the FBI involved for a real investigation, and so there are consequences to lying.

Would like to mention how beautifully Dr. Ford has been handling it, and how badly Senator Chuck Grassley, the Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee is handling himself. See “People Are Fed Up With Sen. Chuck Grassley Interrupting Women In Senate Hearing,” HuffPost, 9/27/18. The way #Kavanaugh behaved during his time will be the stuff of legends, and some of that behavior is referenced below.

Quotes:

If you don’t believe there’s such a thing as rape culture and that it still prevails in the US, please consider the fact that Mark Judge, who was involved in the sexual assault with Kavanaugh, is allowed to hide away in some luxury beach home during all this, while his victim, Blasey Ford, is forced to publicly relive what is undoubtedly one of the most, if not the most, traumatic events of her life in front of the whole nation in front of a panel of men whose sole goal is attack, degrade, and discredit her.  
– SS, Morrisville, 9/27/18

Rally to Stop Kavanaugh, Urge Senator Tillis to Vote NO

Rally to Stop Kavanaugh, Urge Senator Tillis to Vote NO

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

From: NC National Organization for Women, NARAL Pro-Choice North Carolina, Action-NC

CONTACTS:
Gailya Paliga, http://www.northcarolinanow.org, president at raleighnow.org
Lynne Walter, https://prochoicenc.org/, lynne at prochoicenc.org
Kevin Rogers, http://www.actionnc.org/, kevin at actionnc.org

Raleigh, NC, 9/26/18 – Local leaders and advocates will gather outside Senator Tillis’ office on Thursday, September 27^th at 9:30 am to protest the confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court. Following the testimony of Dr. Christine Blasey Ford about Kavanaugh’s past sexual misconduct and claims by two additional women who have stepped forward with similar stories, local constituents will urge Senator Tillis to immediately signal opposition to the Supreme Court nominee and reject his confirmation to the Supreme Court.