đ© Supreme Court Ruling on Loper Bright/Relentless; Statement by Coalition Partners
đœA well informed citizenry is the best defense against tyranny.
People Power United is a proud member of the United for Democracy coalition. In response to the Supreme Court ruling on the Loper Bright/Relentless case, several coalition partners, released these statements:
âMake no mistakeâmore people will get sick, injured, or die as a result of todayâs decision. Some ramifications of this decision wonât be felt for decades, but they will be felt.
âI grew up in the small town of Nitro, West Virginia, a town that's air, water, and soil were polluted by the numerous chemical companies operating there. For decades, they polluted our town with dioxin and dangerous pesticides. And for decades, people got sick, many with cancer. Ironically, Justice Clarence Thomas worked as a lawyer for one of those companies up until the year I was born.
âYears later, I got cancer too. It was a type of cancer that is uncommon for my sex, race, age and health status, but is more prevalent in people who have been exposed to the chemicals that polluted my town. I am mostly healed and healthy now, but the prospect of this decision has been haunting me for months.
âToday's decision leaves the door open for unqualified judges to undermine government experts trying to prevent tragedies like the one in Nitro, West Virginia. It will mean more diagnoses like mine, especially for poor and working-class Americans and people of color.
âThe impact of these extreme rulings is personal for millions of Americans, and weâre not taking them sitting down. The Supreme Court will be on that ballot this year. Thatâs why Iâm taking Stand Up Americaâs pledge to be a Supreme Court Voter, and I hope millions of Americans will join me.â -Stand Up Americaâs Executive Director, Christina Harvey
âThe conservative justicesâ actions today amount to crowning themselves kings. Unaccountable to voters, they will personally decide any complex policy matter for themselves however they wish. On any given issue, they will ignore experts who have spent their careers developing specialized knowledge to instead make their own determination and force us to follow their whim. This is a massive power grab that upends the separation of power and checks and balances as we know it. Critical protections for our air and water, consumers, workers, and so much more could be gutted. We desperately need reforms to rein this Court in so they canât abuse their newly seized power to further roll back all the rights and protections that define modernity as we know it.â Alliance for Justice Vice President of Strategy Keith Thirion
âGovernment should work for the people. With this decision, MAGA justices on the United States Supreme Court have directly reduced our governmentâs ability to do just that. A MAGA Supreme Court that has already eliminated our right to an abortion, made it harder to prevent school shootings, allowed massive corporations to pollute our air and water, helped politicians suppress peopleâs votes - all while accepting lavish âgiftsâ from billionaire backers â just grabbed more power for themselves, giving them more control over our communities and our freedoms.
Hardworking Americans deserve judges who rule in their best interests, not in their billionaire friendsâ and donorsâ best interests. We shouldn't have to say that judges and justices who have no medical expertise shouldnât be setting drug safety standards, impacting which medications we have access to. We shouldnât have to say that judges and justices who have handed countless victories to big oil shouldnât be deciding environmental protections. We shouldnât have to say that judges and justices with ties to mega donors who want to gut the social safety net shouldnât be determining Social Security benefits. We shouldnât have to say that judges and justices who have been caught in the pocket of major corporations time and time again shouldnât be ruling on whether or not workers will have basic safety protections on the job. We see this ruling for what it is: MAGA justices handing their special interest buddies an opportunity to tie up and litigate away our rights in courts for years to come, all at the expense of American families.Â
We deserve better and better is possible. There is a path to ensuring we have a Court that serves as a protector of our democracy and our fundamental freedoms. Congress has the authority to rein in the Supreme Court, and it is time that they have the courage to do so - for the people. â - Action Together NEPA
âThe Supreme Courtâs shameful decision turns democracy on its head. It fundamentally changes the role of unelected judges from interpreters of law to makers of lawâand there is nothing in the Constitution that warrants that. By eliminating deference to public agencies, the court has undermined the ability of experts to set strong rules to protect consumers, workers and the public from corporations and other lawbreakers.Â
âThis decision has real-life consequences for American families. It shifts power away from agencies with public-focused missions toward courtrooms and corporate lawyers adept at poking holes in regulations. It injects legal uncertainty into areas like workplace safety rules, overtime pay policies and collective bargaining rights interpretationsâall of which have long relied on agenciesâ Chevron-backed expertise. It will make it easier for employers to steal wages from their workers, and it could stop the Department of Health and Human Services from directly negotiating prescription drug prices for Medicare.Â
âGiven this cataclysm, Congress should urgently enact Chevron deference into law by passing the Stop Corporate Capture Act (H.R. 1507), a comprehensive blueprint for modernizing, improving and strengthening the regulatory system. That would ensure public input into regulatory decisions, promote scientific integrity and restore our governmentâs ability to help the workers and consumers it is meant to serve.â -American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten
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People Power United is a group of community members that champions progressive values and power for the people. The 2024 election depends on us, and we are attempting to persuade people to vote for Freedom over Fascism. If you wish to support our efforts, please consider becoming a paid subscriber.
United for Democracy is a diverse and growing coalition of 140 grassroots organizations, labor unions, and advocates for reproductive rights, gun violence prevention, the environment, workersâ rights and more, all representing tens of millions of Americans. The nationwide campaign launched to educate Americans about the impact todayâs Supreme Court is having on their lives, freedoms, and democracy â and call on Congress to rein in its unchecked powers.