Today, Common Cause joined Prometheus Radio Project, Movement Alliance Project, Free Press, Office of Communication, Inc. of the United Church of Christ, and National Association of Broadcast Employees and Technicians-Communications Workers of America in filing a brief urging the Supreme Court to affirm the Third Circuit’s decision that the Federal Communications Commission was arbitrary and capricious in deregulating media ownership rules without considering what effect it would have on broadcast ownership by women and people of color. The FCC media ownership rules prohibit a single entity from owning too many newspaper, radio, and television entities within a local market.

Today, the voice of the American people was heard above the cacophony of lies and disinformation and through the flurry of meritless lawsuits filed around the country seeking to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. The Electoral College did its job and cast its ballots to reflect the will of the American people. As required by federal law, presidential electors in all 50 states and the District of Columbia cast their votes for President-elect Biden, who earned 306 Electoral College votes, and Donald Trump, who earned 232 Electoral College votes. With the vote of Michigan’s electors this afternoon, all of the states that were subjected to baseless lawsuits in recent weeks have now had their electoral votes cast to reflect the will of the voters in those states.

“Common Cause believes that the Supreme Court must act before the dagger is in the heart of our Constitution. The Administration has made clear its intention to erase millions of people from the census and has engaged in multiple steps to advance its plot to sabotage the Census count,” said Kathay Feng, Common Cause National Redistricting Director. “We are counting on the Supreme Court to protect our most vulnerable families and our constitution.” 

Today, Common Cause filed an amicus brief in the United States Supreme Court in Trump v. New York, urging the court to uphold the three lower court rulings blocking the Trump administration’s attempt to omit undocumented immigrants from the census numbers used for the apportionment of seats in the U.S. House of Representatives. Three lower courts have ruled that President Trump’s memorandum ordering this unprecedented change violates the U.S. Constitution and federal statutes governing the census and apportionment.

Today, Common Cause called on General Services Administration (GSA) Administrator Emily W. Murphy to uphold her duty and comply with the Presidential Transition Act by immediately ascertaining President-Elect Joe Biden and Vice President-Elect Kamala Harris as stewards of the incoming administration. The letter to Administrator Murphy emphasized that a peaceful and orderly transition of power is vitally important to national security, to public health during the COVID-19 pandemic, and to our democracy. The Act defines the President-Elect and Vice President-Elect as the “apparent successful candidates for the office of President and Vice President, respectively, as ascertained by the Administrator following the general elections.”

Today, a third federal court blocked the Trump administration’s attempt to omit undocumented immigrants from the census numbers for the apportionment of seats in the U.S. House of Representatives. The U.S. District for the District of Maryland, in Useche v. Trump, ruled that President Trump’s memorandum ordering this unprecedented change  violates U.S. statutes governing the census and apportionment.