A new message from your friends at People For the American Way.
[link removed]
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Friend,

The U.S. Senate is about to make it nearly impossible for regular people
to challenge illegal government actions in court.

Buried in the Senate Republicans’ budget bill is a dangerous provision
that would force people to pay massive sums – potentially millions (or
even billions) of dollars – before a judge could even consider temporarily
blocking a harmful or unlawful government policy.

If this becomes law, most people won’t be able to afford their day in
court. Public interest groups, civil rights organizations, and everyday
Americans would be shut out – while the Trump regime gets a free pass to
do more damage unchecked.

This isn’t just wrong. It’s unconstitutional. And it must be stopped.

Legal experts across the political spectrum, including prominent
conservative scholars, are warning that this provision would gut access to
justice and strip the courts of their ability to protect our rights.^[ [link removed] ]
It’s one of the most extreme assaults on the legal system we’ve seen in
years.

[1]Tell the Senate: strip this provision from the budget immediately! >>

This is what a power grab looks like – quiet, calculated, and designed to
lock the courthouse doors before anyone can stop them. We can’t let the
GOP get away with it.

The right to hold the government accountable in court shouldn’t come with
a price tag. Let’s stop this before it becomes law.

Thank you for your advocacy.

Zach VanHouten
People For the American Way

 

[1] [ [link removed] ]"GOP Senate Version of the Big Beautiful Bill Includes an Ugly
Attack on Courts' Ability to Protect Constitutional Rights" Reason,
6/14/25

----[previous message]----

Friend,

While the nation rightly turns its attention to the protests taking place
in Los Angeles and across the country in response to the Trump regime’s
brutal immigration crackdown, Senate Republicans are quietly working to
make an already dangerous situation even worse.

Earlier this year, the House passed a terrible provision in their budget
bill to limit federal courts’ ability to enforce injunctions – limiting
their ability to do anything if and when the Trump regime violates a court
order. Now the Senate has introduced a different provision – and it’s even
more dangerous.

Their version would force people to pay HUGE sums of money – millions or
even billions of dollars – before a court could temporarily block an
illegal federal policy.^[1]^

If this provision becomes law, everyday people, families, and public
interest groups would be priced out of the courtroom. They wouldn’t be
able to get urgent legal protection – even if the Trump regime is causing
serious harm – unless they could pay a bond big enough to cover the
government’s supposed “costs.”

[ [link removed] ]Sign the petition: Tell the Senate to strip this ‘pay-to-sue’ provision
from the budget! >>

As bad as the House provision was, this is arguably even worse. It's a
calculated effort to keep courts from doing their job – and to prevent
people from stopping unlawful actions in real time.

In Trump’s second term, federal courts have remained one of the only
effective checks on government overreach and unlawful actions. Many of
those challenges begin with a request for a temporary restraining order or
preliminary injunction – tools that allow judges to prevent serious harm
while a case moves through the courts.

This provision would take those tools away by making it completely
unaffordable to seek meaningful relief from a federal court. If a judge
can’t act fast, and people can’t afford to pursue a case, the damage will
be done before anyone can stop it.

[ [link removed] ]Tell the Senate: No paywall on justice. Remove this provision now. >>

This isn’t how a democracy works. And this isn’t how our legal system is
supposed to function. But this is exactly how the Trump regime and its
MAGA allies operate: change the rules, shut down opposition, and shield
themselves from accountability.

Thanks for speaking out,

– People For the American Way

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[ [link removed] ]DONATE NOW

 

 

Source:

[1] [ [link removed] ]"Senate GOP Strips Contempt Provision From Tax Bill — But Still
Lets Trump Be King" HuffPost, 6/13/25

 

 

 


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