The State of the Union

“I ask the Senate to pass a rule
that all judicial and public service nominations
receive a simple up or down vote
within 90 days.”
-President Barack Obama, January 24, 2012

During his annual State of the Union address, President Obama highlighted the sorry state of judicial confirmations.

Now you can join him in calling on the Senate to relieve the pressure on our courts caused by ballooning caseloads and judicial emergencies.

» Tell your senators that delays are unacceptable. Ask them to vote on pending nominees without delay, without obstruction, and without partisan games.  

• Calling on the Supreme Court

  

  The Alliance for Justice and ten other reform-minded organizations have sent a letter to the justices of the Supreme Court calling upon them to formally and voluntarily bind themselves to the Code of Conduct for United States Judges. The Code of Conduct applies to all other members of the federal judiciary; only the nine justices of the Supreme Court are exempt. The members of the Court state that they look to the Code for guidance and act as if bound by it; however, behavior by some of the justices, including attending and speaking at overtly political gatherings and participating in fundraisers, belies this claim. We call on the justices of the Supreme Court to take affirmative action to assure the public of their commitment to the highest standards of ethics by formally adopting and binding themselves to the Code of Conduct, action they can, and should, take on their own.
  
  » Read the letter to Chief Justice Roberts (pdf)» Read the press release» TAKE ACTION: Write your own letter to Chief Justice Roberts» Watch AFJ's film "A QUESTION OF INTEGRITY" online now

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  Coming Soon ....

  Do you wonder how a 501(c)(3) organization should track and report its lobbying activities?  Not sure what kind of recordkeeping system to put into place? 

   

  Then Keeping Track: A Guide to Recordkeeping for Advocacy Charities is for you!  This new resource -- which will be available online soon -- is designed to help the staff, officers, and board members of 501(c)(3) public charities understand how to prepare and maintain the records to comply with federal tax law by tracking lobbying activities and reporting them to the IRS. 

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  Technical Assistance

  Alliance for Justice provides one-on-one technical assistance to nonprofits via phone and email. Questions range from "What IRS form do I need to elect 501(h)?" to "How can a 501(c)(3) produce and distribute a voters guide that describes the candidates?" » Request Technical Assistance