Help Keep our Courts Independent ...

[fighttotheend]

Take Action to Save Our Environment by Keeping Our Courts Independent

The judiciary, our third branch of government, was established to rise above partisan politics and operate independently to fairly enforce the laws and Constitution of the United States. Without judges who are fair and whose views are balanced, laws essential for protecting our environment like the Clean Air Act and Clean Water Act will not be enforced.

However, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tennessee) seems intent on eliminating a vital check and balance that has helped preserve the independence of the judiciary: the ability of senators to filibuster lifetime appointments of extreme ideologues to our federal courts. Even Sen. Frist and the proposal's other proponents call it the "nuclear option" as they know its success would so poison the U.S. Senate. Reaching agreement on any major legislation thereafter would be nearly impossible. For more than 200 years, the filibuster has played a critical role in checking the power of both the right and the left in Congress.

WHAT YOU CAN DO:

Go to the DEN Action Center at http://www.denaction.org and send a fax to your U.S. senators urging them to oppose the "nuclear option." Tell them our founding fathers established the judicial branch of government to rise above partisan politics and operate independently to enforce the laws and Constitution of the United States. Thanks for helping to protect the powers of the legislative branch of our government.