If you’ve been following our work here at PPP, you probably knew that Roe v. Wade was never going to make it through the summer, but actually reading the leaked opinion last night was still shockingly, horrifyingly awful. Real people—largely Black, brown, and low-income people—are being hurt by abortion bans right now, and our illegitimate, far-right, anti-democratic Supreme Court is about to make it much, much worse. Before we go any further, we hope you’ll consider giving whatever you can to the organizations on the ground doing the most work to help impacted people right away.
In the coming days, there are going to be myriad opportunities to mobilize and show your support for true reproductive freedom. From demanding that law school deans speak out against the Court’s attack on fundamental rights to joining in local and national protests, there are ways to get involved (even for those in the midst of finals!). If you’re having trouble figuring out how to plug in or deciding where to start, please reach out; we’re here to support in whatever ways we can.
Here’s what we know: we didn’t get here because the far right decided to care about the courts in 2016, or 2020, or last week. We’re here because there has been a concerted effort for the better part of 50 years in which the Chamber of Commerce, the Federalist Society, and conservative religious forces have strategically turned the federal judiciary into a tool to attack the fundamental rights and freedoms of all but wealthy, cis, straight white men. If we’re going to fight back against this, we need to act now. At the same time, we also need to build a lasting, truly progressive movement within the legal profession in order to build legal systems that uphold fundamental rights and freedoms, rather than act as a cudgel against them.
This moment should radicalize all of us. Staying neutral in the face of the harm that is being perpetrated by lawyers (including lawyers in robes) is making a choice to accept this. Taking the same old center-left, pro-corporate legal approach is making a choice to accept this. The legal left has to fight harder and smarter than ever before, because people’s lives depend on it.
If you’re ready to join the fight to unfuck the law, please consider:
- Registering to attend our Convening in Washington, D.C. in July. We’re bringing together progressive lawyers and law students from around the country to learn, strategize, and build towards a world in which the legal system (and the legal profession) actually works to serve real people, and we want you to be a part of it.
- Joining our open Zoom room tomorrow evening. We aren’t planning a formal program, but will have space for law students and lawyers to process the events of yesterday and talk about what can—and should—come next. We need to be in community now more than ever, and we hope to see you there.
- Starting a law student or a lawyers’ chapter of PPP. Our chapters are where we do the real organizing work to build legal systems that work for real people, not the wealthy and powerful. You can learn more about getting a chapter off the ground by emailing Steve Kennedy, our Organizing & Network Director.
- Joining one of our three working groups aimed at unrigging the courts. You can become a member of the Court Reform, State Court, and Judicial Nominations teams by emailing Tristin Brown, our Policy & Program Director, today.
Whether you need to brainstorm, plan, vent, or commiserate, our team is always here. You can sign up for a coffee chat with anybody on our staff team, or reach out to connect by responding to this email at any point. There are very, very dark times ahead, but this isn’t the end of the story. We can build a better future — together.