In one swift moment, Supreme Court decisions can misinterpret, erode, or even eviscerate policy achievements that took decades to achieve. This is no less true of the lower courts, as many critical issues never reach our high court. Ignoring the impact of the courts when outlining core policy commitments condemns any policy proposal to an uncertain future at best. Our political leaders must pass legislation and develop policies that restore constitutional and civil rights, they must commit to defending the constitutionality of landmark legislation, and, in order to ensure that policies furthering progressive values are upheld, they must consider whether judges appointed to the federal bench will be faithful to the whole Constitution’s text, history, and values.

For those reasons, CAC respectfully submitted suggestions for inclusion in the 2020 platforms of the Republican and Democratic parties.