Subject: Announcing the '9-9-9 Tour' : 9 States in 9 Days for 9 Supreme Court Justices
From: Jeremy Funk <[email-masked]>
To: [email-masked]
Date: Fri, 29 Apr 2016 11:38:15 -0400

Link: http://www.americansunitedforchange.org/page/-/9-9-9%20Tour%20Launched.pdf

www.americansunitedforchange.org<http://www.americansunitedforchange.org>
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                            Contact: Jeremy Funk, 202-470-5878
April 29, 2016                                                                         Blake Williams, 202-470-5870
9 Days, 9 States for 9 Justices

'9-9-9' Mobile Billboard Tour Hits the Road to Make Swing-State Republicans the Poster Children of Supreme Court Obstructionism

Local Leaders to Hold 'Do Your Job, Fill the Vacant Seat' Billboard Events in AZ, IA, OH, NH, MO, NC, PA, IL, WI

<http://www.americansunitedforchange.org/page/content/999Tour/>

Washington DC - Despite the overwhelming public consensus<http://www.americansunitedforchange.org/blog/entries/polling_roundup_panicking_time_for_scotus_obstructionists/>, including from over 500 editorial boards<http://www.judgingtheenvironment.org/press/pr/MERRICK-GARLAND-MORE-THAN-500-EDITORIALS-BY-EDITORIAL-BOARDS-IN-49-STATES-DC-URGE-SENATE-HEARING.html> in 49 states, that U.S. Supreme Court nominee Merrick Garland deserves a fair hearing and an up-or-down vote this year, Senate Republicans still haven't gotten the message. That's why Americans United for Change is hitting the road with a nine-state, nine-day mobile billboard tour featuring local leaders to underscore the urgent need for nine Justices. The message to swing-state Republicans is simple: Do Your Job and Fill the Vacant Seat on the Supreme Court, or Someone Else Will Fill Yours.

*See tour dates and locations BELOW; see digital billboard graphic designs HERE<http://www.americansunitedforchange.org/page/content/999Tour/>.
These nine states represent an expansion from the six states (PA, IL, WI, OH, IA, NH) AUFC has had an active presence in as part of the Constitutional Responsibility Project<http://www.weneednine.org> pressuring Senators to do their constitutional duty. The 9-9-9 Tour represents just a part of a massive wave of activity CRP has planned over the congressional recess and in the coming months. After recent polls in New Hampshire<http://www.wmur.com/politics/-wmur-poll-in-senate-race-its-ayotte-43-percent-hassan-42-percent-a-virtual-tossup/39125918>, Ohio<http://weneednine.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Ohio-Poll-Key-Findings-4.15.16-2.pdf>, Wisconsin<http://talkingpointsmemo.com/polltracker/poll-shows-johnson-in-danger-in-wisconsin?utm_content=bufferce264&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer> and elsewhere clearly shows that this issue is taking a toll on the political prospects of Republican senators, the CRP has expanded its 'in play' map to AZ, MO and NC. If Senators Burr, McCain and Blunt thought they were going to get a pass they were wrong. At the rate this is going if Republicans continue this blockade they may as well hand over their gavels now.

April 27th marked 42 days since the President nominated Judge Garland to fill the seat left behind by the death of Justice Scalia. 42 days is the average time<https://public.tableau.com/shared/6JZTHNXKS?:display_count=no&:showVizHome=no> Supreme Court nominees have been welcomed inside the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing room to answers questions about their record. If history was followed, Garland would have faced the committee this week. But Senate Republicans today don't care about precedent, the will of the people, or even the Constitution when it becomes inconvenient. Instead, Republicans led by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley have made the unprecedented, rankly partisan choice to refuse a hearing to a nominee with more federal judicial experience than any other Supreme Court nominee in history. Awkwardly, many of the same Republicans previously lauded<http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2016/03/16/3760775/republicans-backed-merrick-garland-1997/> Garland as imminently qualified to serve on the nation's second most powerful court.

Brad Woodhouse, President, Americans United for Change: "Tellingly, the Republicans who've actually bothered to meet with Judge Garland still can't muster one good reason why he doesn't deserve a fair hearing or to otherwise disqualify him from consideration. Republicans would have us believe the Constitution makes exceptions against filling Supreme Court vacancies during an election year. And yet somehow, President Reagan still managed to see his nominee Anthony Kennedy through to the bench in 1988. While Republicans perform mental gymnastics claiming the last election didn't matter, the fact is<https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/monkey-cage/wp/2016/02/29/one-third-of-all-u-s-presidents-appointed-a-supreme-court-justice-in-an-election-year/> a third of all U.S. presidents appointed a Supreme Court justice during an election year. When you look at the wealth of polling showing Independent voters are especially unimpressed with their plan to sabotage the nomination process, it's quickly becoming a question not whether Republicans will lose their Senate Majority, but by how wide a margin. The question for Mitch McConnell and company: is it worth giving up the majority in the slim chance Donald Trump will ever be able to smooth things over with the millions of women and minority voters he's alienated that are needed to win the Presidency? While it's a clearly a reckless political gamble for Republicans, unfortunately, the American people have a lot more to lose. The longer the Supreme Court is left a Justice short, the more dysfunction and uncertainty it invites for businesses and citizens across the country."

Long-Term Supreme Court Vacancy Leads to Federal Judicial Dysfunction, Uncertainty for Millions:  Over 350 law professors<http://www.afj.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Law-professor-SCOTUS-vacancy-letter.pdf> warned in a letter to Congressional leaders: 'A long-term vacancy jeopardizes the Supreme Court's ability to resolve disputed questions of federal law, causing uncertainty and hampering the administration of justice across the country.'  Put another way<https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/civil-liberties/report/2016/03/14/133139/justice-waits-for-a-nine-member-supreme-court/>: "Any 4-4 tied votes from the Court would result in a default upholding of decisions by regional circuit courts or state supreme courts. Some circuit courts could make federal law for the entire nation. In other areas of the law, Americans could have different constitutional rights in different parts of the country. The U.S. Supreme Court could hold some of these cases over until its next term-which starts in October-leaving millions of Americans waiting for justice."  The USA Today recognized<http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2016/03/31/supreme-court-scalia-eight-justices-tie-votes/82435866/> signs of uncertainty are already apparent: "Cases large and small are ending in tie votes. The pace of decisions has slowed slightly, and fewer new cases are being granted."

"Simply put: America needs nine Justices, not eight," added Woodhouse. "Hardworking families that pay Senators' salaries don't get to pick and choose which parts of their jobs they want to do and forget the rest. If a nurse refused to deal with patients with a cold or flu, or a janitor refused to clean bathrooms, or a cashier only rang up every other item, they would all be fired on the spot. Yet, Republicans are under the impression they don't have do one of the most fundamental parts of their jobs outlined in the constitution. It says "advice and consent", not delay and dodge. That's what the 9-9-9 tour is all about: reminding Republicans they will be held to account for not doing their job, just as anyone else would be. Even if a Senator agrees to meet with Judge Garland, it is nothing but an empty gesture unless followed with an announcement of full support for hearings to go forward and then a timely vote. If that doesn't work, they should threaten to vote against Mitch McConnell to carry on as Republican Leader. Anything short of that is unacceptable and a costly waste of time."
9-9-9 Billboard Tour Schedule
Day

Billboard 1 (IA/WI/IL)

Billboard 2 (MO/IL/OH/PA)

Billboard 3 (PA/NH)

Billboard 4 (AZ)

Billboard 5 (NC)

Saturday, April 30

Creston, IA

Sunday, May 1

Sioux City, IA

Monday, May 2

Davenport, IA

Springfield, IL

Philadelphia & Harrisburg, PA

Tuesday, May 3

Waterloo, IA

TBD MO

Allentown, PA

Wednesday, May 4

Des Moines, IA

TBD MO

Portsmouth, NH

Charlotte & Asheville, NC

Thursday, May 5

Bedford, IA

Cincinnati, OH

Manchester, NH

Phoenix, AZ

Greensboro, NC

Friday, May 6

Milwaukee & Madison, WI

Columbus, OH

Nashua, NH

Tucson, AZ

Raleigh, NC

Saturday, May 7

Green Bay, WI

Pittsburgh, PA

Concord, NH

Greenville, NC

Sunday, May 8

Manchester, NH

Chairman Chuck Grassley's Senate Judiciary Committee Room Still Sits Empty After 44 Days

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______________________________________________________
Jeremy J. Funk
Communications Director, Americans United for Change
Office: 202.470.5878
Cell: 605.366.3654
[email-masked]<mailto:[email-masked]>
www.AmericansUnitedforChange.org<http://www.AmericansUnitedforChange.org>
Twitter: @jeremyjfunk<https://twitter.com/JeremyJFunk>