Tuesday, May 28 - Supreme Court Ethics / Postcard Party Kick Off TONIGHT
Actions You Can Take
Action 1: Call on Senator Durbin to hold public hearings or conduct an inquiry on SCOTUS ethics
Senator Durbin | DC: 202-224-2152 | Chicago 312-353-4952 | Email Sen. Durbin or call another office
Action 2: TONIGHT - Tuesday night postcard parties kick off on Tuesday, May 28, 6:30pm in Lincoln Square
Action 1: Demand Supreme Court Accountability
Supreme Court judge Sam Alito displayed an insurrectionist symbol — the inverted American flag — at his home in January 2021. Earlier, the Alitos had displayed a Christian nationalist flag — the "Appeal to Heaven" flag — at their summer home.
Then there’s Justice Clarence Thomas. His wife, Ginni Thomas, helped lead the "Stop the Steal" campaign to overturn the 2020 election and attended the Jan. 6, 2021 rally near the White House.
In spite of these shocking conflicts of interest, neither Alito nor Thomas has recused himself in cases related to Trump. Meanwhile, over many years, MAGA justices have accepted extravagant gifts from billionaires to rule in their interests.
Senate Judiciary Chair Dick Durbin has taken some action on the matter of Supreme Court ethics. In 2023, he co-sponsored the SCERT ethics act ("skirt") in the Senate. Last week, he called for Justice Alito to recuse, and he and Senator Whitehouse have requested a meeting with Chief Justice Roberts. However, to date, Senator Durbin has not announced he will hold public hearings or conduct an inquiry.
Given Alito’s flagrant flag-flying partisan bias, Thomas’s flagrant acceptance of gifts, and their refusal to recognize blatant conflicts of interest, Durbin must hold public hearings in the Senate.
As Illinoisans, we need to let Senator Durbin know what we want and need: public hearings and more! Call Senator Durbin and ask him to take bolder action.
Call Senator Durbin at his Chicago district office or another district office, if you can’t get through there:
Chicago: 312-.353-4952
Springfield: 217-492-4062
Carbondale: 618-351-1122
Rock Island: 309-786-5173
Suggested script: Hello, my name is __________ and I'm a constituent in zip code ______. I thank Senator Durbin for sponsoring the SCERT ["skirt"] Act and for calling on Justice Alito to recuse. But, to protect our democracy, he must do more.
Right now, we need Senator Durbin to use his power as Senate Judiciary Chair to hold public hearings; subpoena Justices Alito, Thomas, and Roberts; and demand that all justices adhere to a strict ethics policy or be removed. Our democracy depends on it!
Action 2: Postcard Party Kickoff TONIGHT
Come enjoy the camaraderie of writing postcards to voters in swing states with fellow Indivisible Chicago activists.
We're back at the Gideon Welles pub in Lincoln Square every Tuesday evening from 6:30 to 8:00pm, writing postcards to get our voters to the polls in November.
If you can sign up in advance, it helps us let our GW hosts know how many people to expect, but last-minute walk-ins are always welcome.
Feel free to bring your own postcards if you've already ordered them from Postcards to Swing States, or just show up and we'll provide you with postcards, scripts, address lists, and pens.
Donations are welcome, either monetary or in the form of postcard stamps. We look forward to seeing you there!
Other ways to obtain postcards
If you’d like to write postcards on your own or host your own gatherings, go to www.turnoutpac.org/postcards, click on “Sign up for postcards,” complete your order and you’ll be mailed your free postcards along with messages to write and voter lists. (Note: If you enter “Indivisible Chicago” to the optional question on the form, “Are you ordering for a grassroots group?”, we can also let you know when postcard parties are scheduled nearby. Postcards will be provided at the parties or you can bring the postcards you’ve ordered.)
Indivisible Evanston is also distributing postcards for the Postcards to Swing State Campaigns. There are two pickup locations in Evanston, one in Deerfield and one in Buffalo Grove. Sign up here.
Postcard writers are responsible for providing the postcard stamps (currently 53 cents), handwriting a short message and addressing the cards. The instructions include a specific mailing date in October, so you have until then to write the postcards.