full story at St. Louis Beacon – Kinder, Talent, Coleman encourage Martin to challenge Carnahan.

Not waiting for the first Monday in October, the Supreme Court returned Wednesday for arguments in a case that could transform American politics. In its ruling, the court could reverse decades of its own decisions that have blocked corporate spending on federal candidate elections.

read full story via High Court Hears Campaign Finance Arguments : NPR.

via Calif. Supreme Court Upholds Gay Marriage Ban : NPR.

I am proud to announce my nominee for the next Justice of the United States Supreme Court: Judge Sonia Sotomayor.

This decision affects us all — and so it must involve us all. I’ve recorded a special message to personally introduce Judge Sotomayor and explain why I’m so confident she will make an excellent Justice.

Judge Sotomayor has lived the America Dream. Born and raised in a South Bronx housing project, she distinguished herself in academia and then as a hard-charging New York District Attorney.

Judge Sotomayor has gone on to earn bipartisan acclaim as one of America’s finest legal minds. As a Supreme Court Justice, she would bring more federal judicial experience to the Supreme Court than any Justice in 100 years. Judge Sotomayor would show fidelity to our Constitution and draw on a common-sense understanding of how the law affects our day-to-day lives.

A nomination for a lifetime appointment to the highest court in the land is one of the most important decisions a President can make. And the discussions that follow will be among the most important we have as a nation. You can begin the conversation today by watching this special message and then passing it on:

http://my.barackobama.com/SupremeCourt

Thank you,

President Barack Obama

A recent poll shows that most Americans do not feel strongly about the role that diversity should play in the selection of a Supreme Court nominee.  Sixty-four percent of respondents said it “doesn’t matter” to them if President Obama nominates a woman; sixty-eight percent were uninterested in whether Obama had selected a Hispanic nominee, and 74% said “it doesn’t matter whether the first African American president appoints a black justice.”  Mark Silva, Americans Not Concerned with Diversity on Supreme Court, Poll Shows, Los Angeles Times, May 13, 2009.
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-supreme-court-poll14-2009may14,0,2842269.story

Conservatives are running $1 million in ads, starting today, to crush the public health insurance option¹—the heart of Obama’s health care plan. And they’ve promised to spend tens of millions more.²

To win against the powerful insurance lobby, we’ll need to be everywhere. Hundreds of thousands of MoveOn members have already made calls, signed petitions, faxed Congress, rallied at events—and we’ll even run our own ads soon—all in support of the public health insurance option.

But with the insurance industry in all-out attack mode, we now need to go even further. Can you drop by your senator’s local office today or tomorrow to tell him or her to stand up for a public health insurance option that would guarantee coverage and reduce costs by up to 30%?³

Here’s the office closest to you (or at least we hope so; see the P.S. for other options):

Sen. Claire McCaskill’s District Office
5850 A Delmar Boulevard
St. Louis, MO

Click here to print out your flier and let us know you’re going:

When lawmakers return the week of April 20, they’re sure to face a fight over whether to make it easier for workers to unionize. The “Employee Free Choice Act” would allow employees to join a union if a majority of workers sign a card signifying their intent to do so.

It would also provide other workers’ rights. Critics say the legislation, which is often referred to as “card check,” would eliminate the secret ballot for union elections, making it easier for labor groups to intimidate workers. They also say more power for the unions would hurt business at a time when the economy is suffering. Backers say an empowered work force will increase wages and raise the standard of living for many workers.

A similar bill passed the House in 2007 but stalled in the Senate. This time it is once again expected to have enough votes to pass the House easily, but getting the 60 votes it needs to overcome a possible filibuster in the Senate could be difficult. One big difference between now and last time: President Barack Obama supports the measure; George W. Bush didn’t.

Schools revamp schedules to save money

via Schools revamp schedules to save money – USATODAY.com.

from Congress.org

Following President Barack Obama’s call for more volunteerism and public service, Congress is considering a bill this week that would encourage national service. H.R. 1388, the Generations Invigorating Volunteerism and Education (GIVE) Act, would more than triple the number of positions in the Americorps program, from 75,000 to 250,000, and would increase educational stipends and other financial awards for people of all generations who enter public service programs.

The Employee Free Choice Act’s fate increasingly hinges on Sens. Blanche L. Lincoln (D-Ark.) and Mary L. Landrieu (D-La.) — two wavering moderates who would love to dodge the controversy.

As Big Labor and Big Business gird for a free-for-all on the Employee Free Choice Act, the bill’s fate increasingly hinges on Sens. Blanche L. Lincoln (D-Ark.) and Mary L. Landrieu (D-La.) — two wavering moderates who would love to dodge the controversy.

via Business, unions swarm Hill – Glenn Thrush – POLITICO.com.

Rep. Jan Schakowsky is hoping for a “big change moment” to tackle women’s concerns.

WASHINGTON (WOMENSENEWS)–In June, Michelle Obama made a last-minute decision to take time out of her campaign schedule to speak at the annual fundraising luncheon for the National Partnership for Women and Families, a nonprofit organization in Washington, D.C., that lobbies for workplace fairness and balance.

It was an auspicious sign that the group would have a key ally in the White House if her husband, Barack Obama, won the presidential race.

Now first lady, Michelle Obama has appointed Jocelyn Frye, formerly the general counsel for the National Partnership, to be her policy director and has pledged to use her position to help working women balance responsibilities to their careers and families.

Michelle Obama has not publicly laid out a work-family legislative agenda; a spokesperson did not return a call for comment.

But the president supports legislation that would narrow the gender pay gap, lower the cost of child care, encourage companies to offer flexible work schedules, protect workers with caregiving responsibilities from discrimination and expand leave benefits to employees.

Efforts to tackle these problems have come up short in recent years, partly because President Bush opposed many of them.

But with a new president and first lady championing work-life balance issues–and with Democrats in firmer control of Congress–lawmakers and advocates see the possibility for major change on the horizon.

“I have every hope this is one of those moments, those big change moments,” said Rep. Jan Schakowsky, an Illinois Democrat who is the new co-chair of the Congressional Caucus on Women’s Issues, a bipartisan group of female lawmakers in the House of Representatives. “I don’t see change happening in small increments.”

Schakowsky spoke to Women’s eNews in a recent interview.

via Liberal Groups Are Flexing New Muscle in Lobby Wars – NYTimes.com.

via U.S. won’t participate in racism conference | Freep.com | Detroit Free Press.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton plans to name human rights activist Michael Posner to the position of assistant secretary of state for democracy, human rights, and labor, Bloomberg News reports. Posner is currently the director of Human Rights First.

via Clinton to Name Human Rights Activist as Assistant Secretary of State | RHRealityCheck.org.