Received this e-mail yesterday from Democracy for America:
Movements for change are not built overnight. They take WORK.
So, it is with great pleasure that I tell you about DFA’s new Establish Justice campaign.
Establish Justice means putting forth and fighting for an agenda that has the courage to take on the powerful special interests who have so much power over how we handle criminal justice in America.
To kick off our Establish Justice campaign, DFA needs you to join us on October 20th as we text voters across Pennsylvania to GOTV for three incredible judges that together oversee extremely important cases on election laws, voting rights, labor practices, and criminal justice.
Can’t text out the vote with us? Will you consider pitching in just $5 or more to help DFA keep up the fight and fund our Establish Justice campaign.
We know that Republicans have worked overtime to shape the judiciary to reflect their right-wing values, so we cannot hold back in making sure that the judges who take power in these crucial elections fight for progressive values.
Timika Lane, Lori Dumas, and Maraleen Shields will truly reflect the communities that they are seeking to serve and advance the core principle of equal justice under the law.
Our candidates have told us that turnout will be their biggest issue, particularly African American turnout so we will work to mobilize these voters as we text out the vote to Establish Justice.
It takes an enormous amount of resources to make sure every single voter is reached and Democracy for America is working with campaigns on the ground to make sure our candidates come out on top.
If you can’t text with us on October 20th, will you donate to DFA now to make sure we have the resources we need to win?
Thank you for everything you’re doing to win.
—Nelson
Nelson Pierce
Grassroots Powerbuilder
Democracy for America
Click here to RSVP to Text Out The Vote.
Click here to donate to DFA’s efforts.
Friendly reminder, there’s also an opening on the Pennsylvania’s highest court, the State Supreme Court. The Philadelphia Inquirer endorsed judge Maria McLaughlin (D. PA) this week:
A Philadelphian and first-generation college student, McLaughlin is passionate about the rights of women and children, which were often a focus of her work as a Family Court judge in the city. Her election would create for the first time a majority of women on a court that has historically been dominated by men.
McLaughlin talks proudly about serving on the Court of Common Pleas while also being a single mother, an experience that she says informs her commitment to public service. While McLaughlin, like nearly all judicial candidates, avoids talking in specifics about issues that may come before her court, her record in Family Court and the Pennsylvania Superior Court, where she’s served since 2018, offers a strong indication of how she would perform on the bench. Furthermore, in the Democratic primary earlier this year, the Philadelphia Bar Association gave McLaughlin its top rating of “highly recommended.”
Her opponent, Judge Kevin Brobson, is a smart, capable, and respected jurist who has served as president judge of the Commonwealth Court and earned our endorsement in May’s primary. We are pleased that Pennsylvania Republicans selected Brobson over his opponents, both of whom spoke at a March rally that promoted far-right causes.
While Brobson would add ideological diversity to the court, several of his decisions on past cases — including the ruling he authored to exclude ballots in an Allegheny County state Senate race last year — make supporting his candidacy in the general election difficult for this board.
There’s also one more Democratic judicial candidate in Pennsylvania that will need your vote:
David Lee Spurgeon
Party: Dem
County: Allegheny
Occupation: Judge - Court of Common Pleas Education: McKeesport Area Senior High, Duquesne University - B.A., Duquesne University School of Law - Juris Doctor Qualifications: “Highly Recommended” by the Pennsylvania Bar Association; Endorsed by the PA Dem; Serving as a judge since 2016; Appointed by the governor and unanimously confirmed by the PA Senate; Adjunct Law Professor; National Judicial Fellow; Domestic Violence National Expert; former prosecutor family violence
Campaign website: judgespurgeon4commonwealth.com
Facebook: @judgedavidspurgeon4commonwealthcourt
Twitter: @DavidSpurgeon4J
Q: What can you do, both on and off the bench, to ensure that all individuals have equal access to justice?
A: As a judge, I use my position to promote systems change that ensure that all people have more accessibility to the courts. As a Judicial Fellow, I am using those resources to study the statistics over the year of the pandemic to understand whether the use of advanced technology communications increased participation in the court process. Often times, people with limited resources face additional obstacles inherent with our established court processes. Further, we can ensure that everyone in our community has equal access to the court regardless of how you look, who you love, the language you speak and your socio-economic status. Off the bench, judges should participate in the community as a stakeholder to promote the above matters.
Q: What can you do, both on and off the bench, to ensure an equitable and fair court?
A: Judges must continue to be active members of the community. In order to understand how the court is perceived, one must be accessible and engage in intentional dialogue to understand all the people that we serve. Judges must continue to be trained in explicit and implicit bias as it relates to all aspect of the existing court system, and be open to discussing and participating in the changes identified to make the courts more equitable and fair. I recently participated in a national panel to address the racial disparities that exist in the child welfare system. On the bench, we must continue to serve as a servant leader and hold ourselves as well as our colleagues accountable for inequities.
Also, it’s official:
Democracy and Health are on the ballot this year (Pennsylvania Supreme Court Elections) and next year and we need to get ready to keep Pennsylvania Blue. Click below to donate and get involved with these Pennsylvania Democrats campaigns and organizations: