Press Highlights
Shaping Debate
The American Constitution Society's network of progressive lawyers, law students, and academics is shaping national and local debates…and the media is noticing. Check out the latest news, op-eds, and features driving legal and policy discussions across America.
Press Highlight
A reparations plan for Black residents faces its first legal test in Chicago suburb
Jun 10, 2024
ACS Director of Policy and Program for Racial Justice Taonga Leslie spoke to Prism Reports about a reparations plan in the city of Evanston, Illinois that is the subject of a class action lawsuit alleging that the program itself is racially discriminatory. Regarding past examples of reparations, Leslie explains: “Congress had found that the U.S. […]
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Politico - Biden wants to notch one more legislative achievement: More judges than Trump
May 22, 2024
ACS Vice President of Strategic Engagement Zack Gima was quoted in a Politico article detailing the Biden administration's goal of surpassing the previous administration's total number of confirmed federal judges before the end of 2024. However, most of the remaining district court vacancies are in red states, posing a challenge between the Senate Judiciary Committee […]
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New York Times: As Biden Judicial Confirmations Slow, Senate Gains Ground on Red-State Judges
Jan 29, 2024
ACS President Russ Feingold was quoted in a New York Times article focusing on the recent success that Senate Democrats have had in negotiating with Republicans to confirm judges in conservative states. While the article touts progress, Feingold still calls on the Senate Judiciary Committee to further increase its impact by eliminating the blue slip. […]
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San Francisco Chronicle: What’s the most important issue when selecting California’s next senator? The judiciary
Jan 16, 2024
ACS President Russ Feingold and ACS Board of Directors Member Gabriella Barbosa co-authored an op-ed for the San Francisco Chronicle in an effort to implore California voters to consider how congressional candidates would vote on judges if elected. Noting the current ideological divide stalling progress on impactful legislation in Congress, the op-ed highlights how future […]
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Daily Kos: It Will Be Inexcusable
Jan 8, 2024
ACS President Russ Feingold authored an op-ed in Daily Kos, in which he calls on the Senate Judiciary Committee to prioritize judges in 2024 by expanding the Senate calendar and eliminating blue slips. "It will be inexcusable if we get to the end of 2024 and nominations are left on the table and vacancies unfilled […]
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NBC News: Biden falls behind Trump's pace on confirming judges as he enters a fourth year in office
Jan 5, 2024
ACS President Russ Feingold was quoted in NBC News, in which he criticizes the Senate for failing to surpass the previous administration's pace on judicial confirmations. “This is an unfortunate development because things were going very well for the first two years,” Feingold said. “It’s pretty clear what happened this past year was the Senate […]
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The Hill: Time for Senate Democrats to step on the gas to confirm judges
Oct 10, 2023
ACS President Russ Feingold authored an op-ed in The Hill in which he urges the Senate to reprioritize judges and increase the pace of judicial confirmations. As the House continues to seek a Speaker, Feingold calls on the Senate to focus on what only it can do: confirm judges. "The government is funded for the […]
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San Francisco Chronicle: Newsom’s plan for a constitutional convention is a recipe for a constitutional crisis
Aug 25, 2023
ACS President Russ Feingold penned an op-ed in San Francisco Chronicle, in which he criticizes California Governor Gavin Newsom's application for a constitutional convention in pursuit of federal gun control measures. Feingold lays out the inherent risks of a constitutional convention and explains why a constitutional convention is not the solution to the epidemic of […]
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The Nation - Warning: A “Convention of States” Is Practicing to Rewrite the Constitution
Jul 14, 2023
Convention of States, a far-right organization determined to call a Constitutional Convention, will hold its third "simulation" this August. As this practice-run at their attempt to initiate an undemocratic overhaul of the Constitution approaches, ACS President Russ Feingold is sounding the alarm. Feingold's authored piece in The Nation explains how Convention of States plans to […]
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The Hill: How to pick up the pace on confirming liberal judges
Jul 12, 2023
ACS President Russ Feingold authored an op-ed in The Hill explaining how the White House and Senate can increase the pace of judicial confirmations. While the number of confirmations by the Biden administration recently surpassed the pace of the previous administration, Feingold notes that a recent slow-down positions the administration to fall behind once more […]