Dear Editor,
The loss of a progressive Supreme Court for a generation or more will result in a multitude of anticipated consequences and many we cannot anticipate. You may feel you don’t need to vote or that you have no choice, or that one of the ‘Third Party’ candidates provides a reasonable alternative, but think again!
Already one of five African Americans is not allowed to vote because they have felony convictions. Voter suppression is ‘job one’ for the Trump led forces, and only the courts stand between us and the unconstitutional usurpation of our voting rights.
The assault on the rights of women shall continue as Trump is already on record against efforts to equalize the pay for women and against the Ledbetter Equal Pay for Women Act, the first measure signed into law by President Obama in his first term. Freedom of choice will also be in jeopardy as he seeks the repeal of Roe v. Wade.
We cannot allow him to be the nominator of the Supreme Court tiebreaker.
The attack on workers of all stripes is also raging! Trump is on record against the minimum wage and is completely in opposition to a living wage, while continuing to claim to be the worker’s champion. He opposes family leave and is one Supreme Court Justice away from affirming his agenda.
Hillary Clinton pledges to continue the restorative justice initiated by the Obama administration and the Obama Justice Department. Trump on the other hand is calling for ‘law and order’ and can be expected to reverse the DOJ’s efforts to end the privatization of prisons. With a Supreme Court majority, Trump will be able to halt any effort at sentencing reform and the reining in of rogue police actions against African American and Latino men and women.
Should the balance on the Court shift in favor of the right, the continued vitality of all other civil rights legislation will be in jeopardy. The 1964 Civil Rights Act includes Title VI-outlawing discrimination by institutions receiving federal dollars; Title VII-outlawing employment discrimination; Title VIII-discrimination by educational institutions; and Title IX-outlawing discrimination against women in the distribution of funds in athletic activity. It will be in the cross hairs of those who have conspired to circumvent its impact since its adoption.
The assault on the Voting Rights Act of 1965 will be complete under a Trump Supreme Court and with Trump appointed district and appellate court judges. Section 2 of the Act was gutted in the 2014 term of the Court, and immediately thereafter states formally covered by Section 2 began the next day adopting measures to suppress voting generally and African Americans and Latinos particularly.
Yes, we have an answer. It is that we lose by voting for anyone but Hillary Rodham Clinton for president of the United States in this 2016 election season.
Committee on Public Safety
Nashville, Tenn
