If there is life after death, there will be a special place in hell for Mitch McConnell. It almost makes me wish I believed.
We know that the religious right has been trying to overturn Roe v Wade since 1979 — not the date of the decision, which was 1973 — and that groups like the Federalist Society have been working since the mid-1980’s to groom law students and young lawyers with so-called originalist leanings for high-powered positions, including the highest courts in the country, in order to change the law on abortion and other matters. It’s a kind of long-term thinking the left has never managed to attain.
Most of the public focus has been on the Supreme Court, where Bush II and Trump have filled four seats between them with ultra-conservative Justices from the Federalist Society list. Anthony Kennedy was the last Justice appointed by a Republican president who was not a member. And so we owe the gutting of the Voting Rights Act, Citizens United, Hobby Lobby, and other decisions with disastrous consequences, to this movement. But I thought of all this when I read an article in the Tucson Sentinel this week about the confirmation of Danielle Hunsaker to the Ninth Circuit, and the nomination of John Hinderaker to the District Court.
Here’s what it looks like in Tucson:
Overall, Trump has appointed about “19% of the judiciary,” despite resistance “that no president has had to face” over his nominees, said Heritage’s Thomas Jipping. He said Trump could easily wind up filling half of the circuit court bench.
…
“We’re on track to have more than 200 federal judges confirmed,” by the end of his current term, Trump said.
In addition to eight judges he has put on the 9th Circuit and the three on the U.S. District Court for Arizona, a fourth district court nominee, Scott H. Rash, is pending before the Judiciary Committee. And a fifth – Pima County Superior Court Judge John C. Hinderaker – was nominated to the district court Wednesday.
And Trump’s appointments — actually Leonard Leo’s — are on average ten years younger than Obama’s were, and are appointed for life.
Since the Tea Party has taken over many state legislatures since 2010, states are passing more and more outrageous anti-abortion and “religious freedom” bills with the goal of getting a case to the Supreme Court that would overturn Roe. Just this week, the Ohio state Senate passed bills that would require doctors to inform abortion patients that abortion reversal is available, and requiring active measures to preserve the life of a fetus who survives a later abortion by induction. So far, courts have overturned or granted stays in most of these cases. This week a New York court struck down a HHS “conscience” rule. What happens when we no longer have that layer of defense? — when reproductive rights, civil rights, gay rights, environmental protections, government corruption all depend on John Roberts’ concern about his legacy? — when the Federalist Society takes over the Ninth Circuit?
NOW keeps track of abortion cases in the courts here.
Now here’s other news. Thanks as always to the WoW crew, this week including officebss, wow2lib (by proxy), Tara TASW, Besame, mettle fatigue, karij (also by proxy), SandraLLAP, and elenacarlena.
The Good
Needless to say, this comes to us from the WoW 2 team.
From the Armenian Mirror-Spectator:
Daring Armenian Women Group Goes Online to Bring Heroines Out of Obscurity.
“‘Do You Know My Name?’ is the first in a series of video montages presented by the Daring Armenian Women (DAW) Project, showcasing Armenian women from all over the world, who are often overlooked, honoring their courage, intelligence, talent, and resilience. The first montage, produced in cooperation with Yerevan-based Bars Media Studio, is a tribute to women from history.”
*****
Abigail Heyman’s Groundbreaking Images of Women’s Lives, by Naomi Fry — This is a terrific essay with selected photos about a groundbreaking 2nd-wave feminist photographer & her enduring influence on teaching how to be able to SEE.girls and women without conventional assumptions or preconceptions. For anyone who has free reads left at The New Yorker, the photos and text are still an eye-opener because every era comes with tis own versions of 'modern' assumptions and preconceptions.
*****
There’s Hope Yet for the ERA
Arizona won’t pass the ERA until we get some major changes in the state legislature, as shown in this video of Democratic women being shut down trying to introduce guests supporting the ERA.
But the Democrats took over both houses of the Virginia state legislature in that state’s election on Tuesday, giving the amendment new life. The article linked in the heading goes into some detail on Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s (may she live forever) contributions to women’s rights law, which will now be tested. Here’s hoping!
*****
Women Do News Wikipedia Edit-a-Thon https://www.eventbrite.com/...
Women are underrepresented in Wikipedia, and women journalists are no exception. Please join us as we add more women journalists to Wikipedia through the Women Do News Project.
In New York City? Join us in person on Nov. 16!
Drop in any time from 10:30am to 3pm at the Luminary collaboration hub and we'll work together to change how women are represented on Wikipedia! Bring your own laptop, bring a friend, and we'll provide Wikipedia editing guidance, as well as a light lunch and beverages.
RSVPs here are appreciated to help us plan, but not required.
Or join us virtually!
We're hosting and edit-a-thon on Nov. 2 to Nov. 16 to add more women journalists to Wikipedia. You can join us by nominating journalists, writing articles, helping to edit, or simply cheering us on! (#womendonews).
Sign up at: bit.ly/womendonews
See who has been nominated already: bit.ly/womendonews-flier
The Bad
You may remember that this past summer the state of Missouri refused to renew the licence to perform abortions of the last Planned Parenthood abortion clinic in the state — it’s now up to the courts to decide whether leaving the state with no abortion providers is legal.
Last week the next chapter of this horror story got more bizarre:
The Missouri state health director, Dr. Randall Williams, testified at a state hearing Tuesday that he kept a spreadsheet to track the menstrual periods of women who visited Planned Parenthood, an action that one lawmaker has called on the governor to investigate.
The spreadsheet, which was made at Williams’ request by the state’s main inspector, helped to identify patients who had undergone failed abortions.
The revelation came on the second day of an administrative commission hearing that will help decide whether Planned Parenthood can keep its license to perform abortions.
*****
And if you think separating asylum-seeking families at the border couldn’t get any worse, think again. It appears that several women have been asked to pay up to $800 for DNA tests to prove the relationship before they can reunite with their children.
HHS replied by claiming that they provide DNA tests free of charge, but reports from both the director for the immigrant shelter where the women are staying and an immigration lawyer who works with the shelter contradict that. The women are reportedly being told to pay between $700 and $800.
*****
After Lauren McCluskey was murdered on the University of Utah campus last year by her ex-boyfriend, her parents filed a Title IX lawsuit against the university, saying the campus authorities violated her rights by not taking her complaints about his escalating behavior seriously. The independent investigation into the university police department has uncovered many stories of reports of sexual and domestic violence being ignored, of victims being mistreated, and of female officers being harassed and sabotaged in the department.
*****
In response to the Katie Hill story, UltraViolet has a petition called for the outlawing of revenge porn.
The Ugly
T.I. Reveals He Goes To The Gynecologist Every Year With Daughter Deyjah To Ensure Her Hymen Is Still Intact
https://madamenoire.com/...
“I think that most kids in hindsight, looking back, they always thank their parents for not allowing them to damage themselves as much as they could have,” he said, which opened up a conversation about strict parenting and having the sex talk with kids. When asked if he had such conversations with his own brood, that’s when he noted that when it comes to his 18-year-old daughter Deyjah, he goes out of his way every year to ensure she’s still a virgin.
“Have I? This is the thing. Deyjah’s 18, just graduated high school now and she’s attending her first year of college, figuring it out for herself,” he said. “And yes, not only have we had the conversation, we have yearly trips to the gynecologist to check her hymen.”
CREEPY CREEPY CREEPY DAD