We need to know where Elena Kagan stands on corporate power. Can you call Sens. Gillibrand and Schumer? Ask them to pose tough questions so we know whether Elena Kagan will be a champion for ordinary Americans against the corporate tilt of the Roberts court. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand  Report your call |
Dear MoveOn member,
Yesterday, President Obama announced his newest Supreme Court nominee, Elena Kagan.
Republicans have already started to attack her, using the same old divisive wedge issues like gay rights and abortion.
Those critical issues will and should be examined during the Senate confirmation hearings. But unless we speak up, there's one important one that won't: In recent years the Roberts court has tilted heavily in favor of expanding the rights of giant corporations. And we need to know whether Elena Kagan is going to side with the big corporations or if she's going to stand up for everyday Americans.
If we can make this issue the center of the debate, not only can we make sure Kagan will be a champion for the rights of ordinary Americans over those of big corporations, but we can put the Justices on alert that Americans are upset about the direction of the court.
Can you call Sens. Gillibrand and Schumer and ask them to ask tough questions on corporate power? Ask them to make sure that the court's corporate tilt is a major thrust of the hearings.
Here's where to call:
Senator Kirsten Gillibrand
Phone: 202-224-4451
Senator Charles Schumer
Phone: 202-224-6542
Then, please report your call by clicking here:
A poll released last week shows that the majority of Americans—both Democrats and Republicans—want a nominee who will fight corporate power.1 But with radical rulings like Citizens United massively reshaping the way that corporations influence our democracy, it's crucial that that issue gets explored in Kagan's confirmation hearings.
President Obama says that's why he nominated Kagan, and it's true that she argued against Citizens United as the US Solicitor General. But there's at least some concern that she doesn't share the President's views on Citizens United.2
As the The New York Times wrote,
"President Obama may know that his new nominee to the Supreme Court, Elena Kagan, shares his thinking on the multitude of issues that face the court and the nation, but the public knows nothing of the kind."3
The truth is we just don't know, but with critical cases in the pipeline that will determine whether corporations continue to win out over everyday Americans, we need to hear her positions directly from her. And to send a message that Americans are sick of the direction of the current corporate court.
Can you please ask your senators to make sure we know where Elena Kagan stands, and to keep the focus on this critical issue as Kagan goes through the confirmation process?
Thanks for all you do.
–-Ilyse, Amy, Matt, Milan, and the rest of the team
1. Greenberg, Quinlan, Rosner Research poll memo, http://www.moveon.org/r?r=88214, May 7, 2010
2. "Citizens United: Does Elena Kagan Disagree With Barack Obama on Corporate Speech?" The Huffington Post, May 9, 2010
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=88259&id=20348-10220574-B9EYRex&t=4
"Stints in Court May Yield Clues to a Style," The New York Times, April 14th 2010
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/15/us/politics/15scotus.html
3. "Searching for Elena Kagan," The New York Times, May 10, 2010
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/11/opinion/11tue1.html
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