People For the American Way-Pennsylvania

12/18/2014

Democrats employ strategy to get the most bang for Obama nominations

Even with late push of confirmations, the administration enters its final 2 years with many spots unfilled.

11/11/2014

"I wasn't just handing out flyers and asking people to 'vote for question 6, vote for marriage equality.' I didn't want to approach people as an advocate and a stranger. I wanted to approach them as a neighbor who would be personally and profoundly affected by their vote on an issue that they mostly take for granted.

What they couldn't tell -- and what surprised me immensely as I experienced it -- was just how degrading it was, more and more as the day wore on. In fact, it was one of the most degrading experiences of my entire life."

Your ruling suggested that using the democratic process rather than the courts should make us feel respected and heroic. With that in mind, I would like to share with you my experience doing just that in 2012 when my state, Maryland, had marriage eq...

10/29/2014

Report: Pa. Federal Judges Carrying Average Caseload

Pennsylvania's three federal trial courts fall roughly in the middle of a ranking of the country's nearly 100 district courts for workload per judge.

09/17/2014

See today's letter to the editor from Christine M Stone and Jodi Hirsh urging Senator Pat Toomey to play a leadership role in discouraging his party from delaying and obstructing federal court judicial nominees just because they can.

Pennsylvanians can't afford to let the U.S. Senate play politics with the eight federal judicial vacancies in our courts. Unnecessary delays on judicial nominations cause real and lasting consequences for Americans seeking justice. With just a handful of voting days left before the Senate leaves for…

09/16/2014

"The shift, one of the most significant but unheralded accomplishments of the Obama era, is likely to have ramifications for how the courts decide the legality of some of the president’s most controversial actions on health care, immigration and clean air. Since today’s Congress has been a graveyard for legislative accomplishment, these judicial confirmations are likely to be one of its most enduring achievements."

WASHINGTON — Democrats have reversed the partisan imbalance on the federal appeals courts that long favored conservatives, a little-noticed shift with far-reaching consequences for the law and President Barack Obama’s legacy. For the first time in more than a decade, judges appointed by Democratic p…

06/30/2014

The Hobby Lobby ruling opens the door to handing even more power to large corporations, including the power to ignore anti-discrimination laws.

06/10/2014

Great letter to the editor from Christine M Stone!

While Edward G. Smith was recently sworn in as the newest federal judge in the U.S. District Court of Eastern Pennsylvania ("Judge Edward Smith sworn onto federal bench in front of 1,000 in Easton," story, June 7) judicial vacancies still plague...

05/27/2014

Young Elected Officials Network honors Pittsburgh City Council District 4 Councilwoman Natalia Rudiak for outreach in Pennsylvania

City of Pittsburgh Municipal Website

05/19/2014

Congratulations City Councilwoman Natalia Rudiak, winner of People For the American Way's YEO Network Leadership Award!

05/15/2014

Federal district court nominee Michael Boggs of Georgia had his confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday. The hearing was his opportunity to address the many serious conce

04/23/2014

Courts matter. Federal court decisions impact every aspect of our lives. Senator Robert P. Casey, Jr. needs to pay attention to the nearly 35,000 people who have spoken out against David Porter.

Federal judges, appointed for life, make decisions that impact the lives of Pennsylvanians every day. When laws are enacted that infringe on civil rights, harm the environment or put corporate interests above individual rights, the federal courts are often the last or only resort. The Post-Gazette r…

04/05/2014

Progressives in Pennsylvania have been working for weeks to derail an apparent deal between their U.S. senators to submit a conservative Republican judicial nominee to the White House -- and it looks like they're gaining momentum.

WASHINGTON -- Progressives in Pennsylvania have been working for weeks to derail an apparent deal between their U.S. senators to submit a conservative Republican judicial nominee to the White House -- and it looks like they're gaining momentum. Mo...