PGHIMC - Pittsburgh Independent Media Center

Rally to Save the Courts
by Jessica McPherson Sunday, May. 01, 2005 at 10:25 PM

Over a hundred people gathered at the Federal Building in downtown Pittsburgh last Monday afternoon for a rally protesting the Republican plan to change the rules for the confirmation of judicial appointees by congress.

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Over a hundred people gathered at the Federal Building in downtown Pittsburgh last Monday afternoon for a rally protesting the Republican plan to change the rules for the confirmation of judicial appointees by congress. The Republican proposal, championed by Senate Majority leader Bill Frist, would eliminate the use of the filibuster during Senate confirmation of appellate and high court judicial appointees. Debate could be ended by a simple majority vote, rather than the 60-vote majority needed to end debate under current rules.
The protesters lined the sidewalks and chanted “Save our courts” in an energetic and coordinated demonstration amidst the afternoon rush-hour. Many protesters saw the Republican proposal as a deep threat to democracy in America, which they perceived as already gravely compromised. Rally participant Georgene Gallo said she attended the rally because quote “It’s getting scarier. Filibuster is our last defense against their absolute power. Our votes don’t count anymore, and if they get the courts they’ll have all three branches of government.” Endquote. Dar Thomas said that quote “My husband and I are former republicans, but we’re very distressed about the way the country is going, very concerned about signs of censorship. If these judges get in there will no longer be any debate, and debate is the most American thing there is. If you shut it down, it shuts down the voice of the ordinary person. Unless your politics are right, unless you belong to the right church or the right corporation, you’ll have no voice.” Endquote. Jess Summer, a 3rd year law student at the University of Pittsburgh, said she attended the rally because the Republican proposal is opposed by a clear majority of Americans; quote “A small minority of extremist, fundamentalist Republicans want to short circuit the process so they can get their judges in power.” Endquote. Others echoed the fear that Republicans pushing for the change were motivated by a desire to impose their religious convictions into American law through judicial appointees. An anonymous man said his main motivation in attending the rally was to quote “help preserve the checks and balances in government and to protect the separation of church and state.” Endquote. Participant Lynn Kinney said that quote “When I was a kid, we had Kruschev and his shoe-thumping. Now we have Bill Frist and his bible thumping. I’ve equated it, they are the same. I hate that I’m afraid of my own country.“

The rally was one of many that took place simultaneously across the country, coordinated by MoveOn.org. Michele Feingold organized the rally after she got an email from MoveOn describing the plan to demonstrate across the country against the court-packing scheme, but then found no events planned for Pittsburgh. She said quote “MoveOn is a grass-roots organization. I kept checking back, and no one had done it, and then I realized, Oh my gosh, I’m going to have to do it.” The vote on the republican proposal was originally scheduled for last week, but has not yet occurred.

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signs of dissent
by Jessica McPherson Sunday, May. 01, 2005 at 10:25 PM

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crowd at rally
by Jessica McPherson Sunday, May. 01, 2005 at 10:25 PM

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