Judicious Advocacy in PA
The Pennsylvania Coalition for Constitutional Values
by Elena Rovner, Esq.
The Pennsylvania Coalition for Constitutional Values (PCCV) is a diverse alliance of over 50 regional organizations who come together to work on judicial nominees. As we enter our second year of co-chairing this coalition, we’re proud to have led advocacy efforts for two historical appointments to the Supreme Court.
The coalition was originally formed in 2001 to speak out for a fair and independent federal judiciary, and to mobilize citizens to speak out against the nominations of now-Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito and Chief Justice John Roberts — in collaboration with NCJW’s BenchMark Campaign.
We reinvigorated the coalition during the spring of 2009, as we worked together for the confirmation of Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor. We hosted planning meetings and a luncheon program bringing together individuals from many backgrounds including labor unions, women’s groups, environmental organizations, faith communities, and civil rights organizations. We held educational conference calls, as well as coordinated and attended in-district meetings with the Chief of Staffs of the Pittsburgh Offices for Senator Arlen Specter and Senator Robert Casey. It was incredibly important to communicate — as constituents and advocates — about the need to ensure that the confirmation process to our nation’s highest court proceeds fairly and promptly. 
With the nomination of Solicitor General Elena Kagan, we were able to build upon our previous work. On June 16, 2010, we gathered our coalition for a luncheon meeting that was double the size of last year’s and included special guests Elissa Froman, senior legislative associate at NCJW, Inc., and Jesse Weiser of the Religious Action Center for Reform Judaism. One attendee even commented, “I love coming to your events. I learn something new every time.”
Taking the energy of our meeting and what we learned from Elissa and Jessie, we met with Senator Specter’s staff in Pittsburgh. With Senator Specter on the Senate Judiciary Committee, we shared information about the nominee and talked about her reputation of academic brilliance and her keen understanding of how the law impacts the everyday lives of people.
The confirmations of US Supreme Court and Federal Court nominees are among the most significant and long-lasting decisions made by the US Senate. Our commitment to core constitutional values, such as civil and reproductive rights, drives us to continuously support and advocate on behalf of nominees that have the requisite character, intelligence, independence, experience, and judicial temperament to be fair justices. We believe that every aspect of American life is affected by our justice system, and confirmations of US Supreme Court nominees are one of the most significant and long-lasting decisions made by the US Senate. We are proud to lead such an important coalition.
Elena Rovner serves on the Board of Directors of the NCJW Pittsburgh Section, and co-chairs the Pennsylvania Coalition for Constitutional Values.