November, 13 2019, 11:00pm EDT
Demand Justice Announces Ads Shaming Facebook for Sponsoring Federalist Society Dinner Honoring Brett Kavanaugh
Tech Firm Should Not Subsidize Right-Wing Effort to Rehab Kavanaugh in Face of Multiple Sexual Assault Allegations
WASHINGTON
In advance of The Federalist Society's dinner honoring Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, despite Dr. Christine Blasey Ford and Deborah Ramirez accusing him of sexual assault, Demand Justice announced ads shaming Facebook for its "Gold Circle" sponsorship--the highest listed level--of the gala.
Last year, fewer than 50 days after Dr. Ford testified before Congress that Kavanaugh assaulted her, the audience at The Federalist Society's annual convention dinner gave him a standing ovation. Tonight, Kavanaugh will be honored with the organization's Antonin Scalia Memorial Dinner speaking slot.
Katie O'Connor, Senior Counsel for Demand Justice, said:
"Facebook should not be sponsoring the rehabbing of Brett Kavanaugh's reputation when Dr. Blasey Ford remains unable to resume a normal life after bravely coming forward last year. You can claim to respect survivors of sexual assault or you can pay for a celebration of Brett Kavanaugh, but you can't do both. Any organization that doesn't want to be complicit in normalizing Kavanaugh should withdraw its support from The Federalist Society and pledge not to give in the future."
Shaunna Thomas, Co-founder and Executive Director of UltraViolet, said:
"Over the last few years, Mark Zuckerberg and Facebook have become critical cogs in the right-wing propaganda machine - spreading lies and dangerous levels of vitriolic misinformation to American voters. That's why it is hardly surprising that Facebook is a major corporate donor to The Federalist Society - an organization dedicated to taking our courts in a radical, right-wing direction. But it should terrify everyone that Facebook is actively funding the public rehabilitation of a serial sexual abuser who should not be serving on the Supreme Court. Facebook's unabashed support of The Federalist Society and Brett Kavanaugh sends a clear signal to survivors everywhere - that Facebook is not on their side. Shame on Facebook and shame on Mark Zuckerberg."
Facebook is a Gold Circle sponsor of this year's conference. Demand Justice will also run ads highlighting other Gold Circle sponsors, including Consovy McCarthy, Gibson Dunn, Kasowitz Benson & Torres, Kirkland & Ellis, Sullivan & Cromwell, and WilmerHale.
Demand Justice is a progressive movement fighting to restore the ideological balance and legitimacy of the federal courts by advocating for court reform and vigorously opposing extreme nominees.
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"The United States has been a leader in the global fight to eradicate polio, which is poised to become only the second disease in history to be eliminated from the face of the earth after smallpox," said Liza Barrie, Public Citizen's campaign director for global vaccines access. "Undermining polio vaccination efforts now risks reversing decades of progress and unraveling one of the greatest public health achievements of all time."
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Mr. Siri is also representing ICAN in petitioning the FDA to "pause distribution" of 13 other vaccines, including combination products that cover tetanus, diphtheria, polio, and hepatitis A, until their makers disclose details about aluminum, an ingredient researchers have associated with a small increase in asthma cases.
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Both comments generated concern—like the Friday reporting in the Times, which University of Alabama law professor and MSNBC columnist Joyce White Vance called "absolutely terrifying."
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Multiple critics altered Trump's campaign slogan to "Make Polio Great Again."
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Without naming anyone, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), a polio survivor, put out a lengthy statement on Friday.
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