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Sometimes the cases the Supreme Court chooses not to hear are as important as the cases they decide to hear. This week the high court decided not hear a case against gun manufacturer Remington Arms.
This is a legal victory for the Sandy Hook families, who originally brought the lawsuit. These families will now have their day in court. Gun manufacturers will no longer be shielded from legal action.
Remington Arms manufactured the AR-15 used at the Sandy Hook massacre in 2012. The families brought the suit because the company used "militaristic and hyper-masculine advertising" and utilized product placement in videos to appeal to younger, at-risk males.
Gun manufacturers have been excluded from regulation by the Consumer Product Safety Commission for more than 40 years. In 2005 Congress passed legislation, the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act, (PLCAA), which further buffered the gun industry. The bill grants broad immunity to gun-makers and dealers from prosecution over crimes committed with their products.
PLCAA was introduced at the behest of the NRA, which feared financial consequences from lawsuits. The NRA said, at the time, PLCAA's passage was "historic." Since then, only two lawsuits against the gun industry have survived pretrial efforts to dismiss.
Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) and Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) reintroduced the Equal Access to Justice for Victims of Gun Violence Act to ensure that the gun industry, including manufacturers, sellers and special interest groups, is not shielded from liability when it acts with negligence and disregard for public safety. The bill (H.R. 3214 and S.B. 1779) would repeal PLCAA.
"It's time to let the gun lobby know that they no longer own Congress the way they used to and they won't be held to a special standard any longer," said Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT).
We can also send a message to NRA in November when we help send JAC candidates to Congress that are committed to passing gun safety legislation. Elections have consequences.
Not sure who to donate to? Make a donation to JAC and we will use it to support our candidates.
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JAC members delivered JACPAC support to Rep. Max Rose (NY-11).
(l to r: David Wein, Hollis Wein, Max Rose, Jacki Parmacek, Eric Parmacek)
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JAC members met with former Gov. John Hickenlooper and candidate for U.S. Senate (D-CO).
(l to r: Janna Berk, John Hickenlooper, Sharon Koltin)
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Israel and Gaza Terror Groups Reach Cease-Fire
Gaza terror groups fired a total of 450 rockets at Israel between Tuesday morning and Thursday morning, according to the IDF. Israel retaliated in an operation it called Operation Black Belt. Israel's targeted killing of a Palestinian Islamic Jihad senior commander, Baha Abu al-Ata, sparked the rocket fire from the terror groups. A cease-fire went into effect between Israel and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, as well as other terrorist groups in Gaza. The Israel Defense Forces
confirmed that the cease-fire went into effect at 4 a.m. Thursday, and Egyptian negotiators said it would begin at 5:30 a.m.
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Stephen Miller Pushed Racist Stories to Breitbart, Leaked Emails Show
White House senior policy adviser Stephen Miller pushed white-nationalist materials on staffers at the right-wing website Breitbart in the runup to the 2016 presidential election, leaked emails obtained by the Southern Poverty Law Center show. Katie McHugh, a former Breitbart writer who was fired in 2017 over her anti-Muslim tweets and then later renounced by the far right, told SPLC that Miller was introduced to her to help shape her coverage at the site.
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Abortion After the Clinic
As Republican lawmakers try to legislate it out of existence, the future of reproductive healthcare may be at home. "People throughout the world, including here in the U.S., have been since the dawn of time ending their own pregnancies," says Jill Adams, executive director of the legal nonprofit
If/When/How. "And since the advent of abortion pills, they've been doing it safely and more effectively. It's no longer the Chicken Little narrative, where if you pass restrictions, clinics will close, people will be forced to take matters into their own hands, and it's certain death and destruction from there.
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How the U.S. Military Has Embraced Growing Religious Diversity
Six months after the United States entered World War I, Congress passed what was known as the "Chaplains-at-Large Bill." This
legislation formally opened the chaplaincy to "religious sects not recognized" in the military. It specifically
enumerated Jews, Mormons, Christian Scientists, the Eastern Orthodox and the Salvation Army as eligible religions. It allowed commanding officers to request chaplains of these faiths if "sufficient numbers of the adherents of such faiths in their divisions" demanded it.
General John Pershing, the commander of the American Expeditionary Force in France, soon requested 25 additional Jewish chaplains.
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Trump's Attacks on the Judiciary Are Dangerous. Good for This Judge for Speaking Up.
Federal judges mostly speak through their opinions. When they give speeches or write law review articles, they tend to take measured tones. On the rare occasions they tread into issues touching on current politics, they usually do so obliquely. So it was all the more striking that Paul Friedman, a highly respected federal district court judge, used the occasion of an annual lecture before a group of the capital's most distinguished judges and lawyers not merely to defend the independence of the federal judiciary but to take on President Trump directly.
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Putin Has Relished U.S. Political Chaos. He May Now Fear Trump's Impeachment
For some time, Russian officials have derived a certain glee from the
chaotic political machinations in the United States. The daily drama plays into a popular narrative here that the U.S., and the West in general, faces terminal decline. As former Cold War rivals descend into this supposed anarchy, a resurgent Russia under President Vladimir Putin gains strength and stability. To the Kremlin it's an appealing distraction that belies chronic economic and demographic problems facing the actual Russia where people live in ever decreasing numbers. But there are signs the fast-moving impeachment process is a bit too chaotic, even for Putin.
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On the Anniversary of Kristallnacht and the Fall of the Berlin Wall, Remembering East Germany's Jews
It was mid-September 1988, and while shuffling through the mail in my Budapest apartment, I came upon an oversize envelope inviting me, as a journalist, to cover the events of the 50th anniversary of Kristallnacht on Nov. 9 in Berlin. That was not unusual since the city of West Berlin and the rest of the Federal Republic -- West Germany -- marked the event in scores of towns, villages and cities. As well they should, of course. I did a double take. This envelope came from the press office of the East German government, the German Democratic Republic, and after a few phone calls to friends in the press corps in West Germany, they were as surprised as I was.
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Introducing JACII, a JAC group for young professionals, advocates, and those young at heart who are looking to get involved. Groups have started in Detroit, Chicago, and Los Angeles.
Events will feature elected officials and speakers in lively settings. JACII is by and for young people. Now is the perfect time to get involved.
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Know someone who would be interested in joining or hosting a meeting? Let us know at info@jacpac.org. We will be happy to help organize a JACII in your city.
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"[President Trump] must be held accountable, he is not above the law - no president is - and we have a responsibility to make sure that that is the message, not only for today, but for the ages."
-- House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA)
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Breakfast with
Rep. Elissa Slotkin
Monday, November 17
8:00 am
Chicago
Call the JAC office for details
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Meet
Cal Cunningham
Candidate for U.S. Senate from North Carolina
Monday, December 9
Details to follow
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SAVE THE DATE
April 21-23, 2020
JAC's 2020 Annual Meeting
Celebrating 40 years of JAC
Washington, DC
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Want to host a JAC event? Contact the office and we will help organize it.
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Jewish Community Voter Guide
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The 2019 Jewish Community Voter Guide is now available.
The JAC Education Foundation's nonpartisan Congressional Voter Guide is now available for download and in print version. This edition tracks the votes of all members of the House and Senate from January - July of 2019 on key votes important to the Jewish community.
If you would like printed copies for your synagogue or organization, please contact the JAC Education Foundation office at 847.433.5999.
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Joint Action Committee for Political Affairs (JACPAC) is a pro-Israel PAC with a domestic agenda. We support a strong U.S.-Israel relationship and advocate for reproductive health and the separation of religion and state and incorporate other issues of importance to the Jewish community, including gun violence prevention and climate change. In addition to providing financial support for U.S. Senate and House campaigns, JACPAC educates our membership with outreach events designed to inform and activate their participation in the political process.
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Paid for by Joint Action Committee for Political Affairs. Contributions or gifts are not tax deductible. Federal law requires us to use our best efforts to collect and report the name, mailing address, occupation, and name of employer of individuals whose contributions exceed $200 in an election cycle. Corporate contributions and contributions from non-US citizens who are not lawfully admitted for permanent residence are prohibited. All contributions by individuals must be made from personal funds and may not be reimbursed or paid by another person.
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