Do you believe in the promise of Brown v. Board?
It’s a simple question, but one that several of President Trump’s judicial nominees have struggled to answer. We need your help to make sure that those who don’t believe in civil rights don’t get to guard our justice system.
64 years ago, today, Thurgood Marshall and a team of NAACP attorneys won the landmark Supreme Court decision, Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas, which outlawed segregation in public schools and overturned the principle of “separate but equal.”
Brown v. Board was a critical civil rights milestone but its full progressive potential has not been realized. Many children of color remain relegated tounderperforming schools, and, as recent incidents have shown, racial bias remains a daily reality.
Now, we find ourselves faced with judicial nominees who refuse to state their support for Brown v. Board. Six of Trump’s selections for these lifetime appointments to federal courts evaded senators’ questions about their feelings toward the Supreme Court decision.
Such behavior is hardly surprising from nominees with proven track records of disrespecting the rights of Americans of color. These individuals have worked to roll back voting rights, criminal justice, immigrant rights, and LGBTQ rights. Many would join all-white courts in jurisdictions serving millions of people of color.
Our democracy needs your help. With nearly 180 judicial vacancies, the Senate’s action on these nominees could impede progressive issues for decades. Please urge your senators to confirm qualified, honorable candidates.
Protect our courts and the promise of Brown v. Board.
In solidarity,
Derrick JohnsonPresident and CEO
NAACP