Rule of Law

Unfortunately, it has become devastatingly clear that our current matrix of laws, institutions, and norms are not equal to the challenge of corruption at the highest levels of government. For example:

·        Supreme Court Justices are not bound by the Code of Conduct for United States Judges or any other defined set of ethical rules.

·        Conflict of interest laws that apply to every other federal employee do not apply to the President, Vice President, or Members of Congress.

·        The U.S. Department of Justice has taken the position that criminal laws cannot be enforced against a sitting President, and that a criminal President can exercise his powers maximally, however corrupt his motives or intent. The President’s personal attorneys have gone further still, arguing that a sitting president cannot even be investigated.

·        High ranking government officials – acting on the President’s orders – have defied Congressional subpoenas in an effort to hide politically damaging information from the American people. The judicial response has been sluggish, requiring months if not years to resolve each instance of contempt.

In view of the weakness of our laws, institutions, and norms, the final bulwark against arbitrary power – community commitment – must rise to the challenge. We support the following principles:

·        Nobody is above the law.

·        Law enforcement should not be weaponized for political gain.

·        Elections should not be sold to the highest bidder.

·        Soliciting foreign interference in a U.S. election should be a crime.

·        Government power should be exercised for the sole benefit of the American people, never for the personal gain of public servants.

·        The processes through which laws are adopted, administered, and enforced must be maximally transparent. While there may be legitimate reasons to classify national security information and/or assert legal privileges, these tools should not be used to hide politically damaging information from public.

We support the goals of HR1 – For the People Act of 2019 [https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-bill/1/text] – including:

·        Create an ethics code for Supreme Court Justices

·        Require presidential and vice-presidential candidates to disclose their previous 10 years of income-tax returns

·        Eliminate the use of taxpayer money to settle sexual-harassment claims

·        Introduce a viable public financing scheme for political campaigns

·        Impose stricter limitations on foreign lobbying

·        Require Super PACs and other "dark money" organizations to disclose their donors

·        Support a constitutional amendment to overturn the Supreme Court’s decision in Citizens United v Federal Election Commission (2010), which allows virtually unlimited political spending by corporations, labor unions, and other associations

·        Create a national voter registration program

·        Make Election Day a federal holiday

·        Establish non-partisan commissions to draw electoral districts

LINKS:

Congress: We Demand A Democracy That Works For Us: https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/we-demand-a-democracy-that-works-for-us?_ga=2.210840597.1489951368.1580573901-1369310368.1580573901

10 Steps to Save American Democracy: https://robertreich.org/post/181325899935