June 2024 Newsletter | Our Common Purpose
By Zachey Kliger | zachey.kliger@gmail.com | June 30, 2024
Join us on June 27th for Supreme Court Term Limits: Rethinking Life Tenure on a Divided Court
In recent years, the U.S. Supreme Court has become increasingly controversial, with Americans’ views of its legitimacy starkly divided along ideological lines. At the same time, Justices today live far longer – and thus serve far longer – than the Framers are likely to have imagined, raising the stakes of the confirmation process as new nominations to the Court become rarer and more consequential. To address these growing concerns, the Our Common Purpose (OCP) report calls for instituting 18-year terms for Supreme Court Justices.
On June 27th in Washington D.C., the Academy will bring together a diverse, bipartisan group of experts, including Kimberly Atkins Stohr, Sarah Binder, Stephen McAllister and Judge Diane Wood, for a lively discussion of all sides of this proposed reform. Register for this luncheon event here.
DATE: June 27, 2024 | 12:00 – 1:30 PM ET | Register
Stories From The Field
Trust for Civic Life Launched.
The Trust for Civic Life announced its first round of grantmaking on June 17, bringing together funders across the ideological spectrum to tackle America’s crisis of polarization where it matters most: in the communities where Americans live, work, and experience day-to-day democracy. Inspired by the Our Common Purpose report, the Trust’s initial grants are to 20 civic ‘hubs’ across America, with a round of grantmaking to civic entrepreneurs to follow.
OCP Co-Chair Honored at FairVote Awards.
Our Common Purpose Co-Chair, Eric Liu was among those honored for groundbreaking work to strengthen democracy at FairVote’s 2024 Awards ceremony in New York City, where he spoke about combining civic engagement and structural reform.
Juneteenth to July 4th is Civic Season.
Civic Season, the flagship program of Made By Us, is a new tradition aimed at bringing people together to understand our past and shape our future. Build your Civic Season with over 2,000 activities for self-discovery and civic upskilling here.
Protecting Democracy Releases New Media Guides for Covering Political Violence.
OCP Champion Protect Democracy launched a new set of media guides on covering political violence which include core principles, key questions, examples of thoughtful coverage and links to additional resources. Find the guides here.
In The News
Is the Partisan Divide Too Big to be Bridged?
The New York Times spoke with Our Common Purpose Co-Chair Stephen Heintz as it examined efforts to bridge the partisan divide in America, especially the newly launched Trust for Civic Life. Heintz noted that the problem of polarization “will not be solved overnight,” but he and others involved in the effort agree that “the effort is worth it.”
Far from the Protests, Some Students Try to Meet in the Middle.
Disagree Better Initiative Featured on Good Morning America.
Utah Governor Spencer Cox and Maryland Governor Wes Moore spoke with GMA’s Robin Roberts about the National Governors’ Association’s Disagree Better Initiative, which aims to help Americans “disagree in a way that allows us to find solutions and solve problems instead of endlessly bickering.”
Democracy Isn't Doomed: Let's Scale Experiments that are Working.
FairVote Co-Founder Rob Richie explains in the Washington Post that initiatives in places like Montgomery County, Maryland; Nashville, Tennessee; Portland, Oregon and New York City could help to chip away at voter cynicism and move America in the right direction.
Get Involved
Join us for Building Demand for National Service: New Insights from Public Opinion Research.
The Academy and California Volunteers will convene a half-day event to share findings from public opinion research on young Americans’ views about participating in a year of national service. This session will highlight data-driven opportunities for state service commissions to build demand for a year of service among young Americans.
DATE: July 17, 2024 | 12:00 – 5:30 PM ET | Learn More & Register
Add your Organization to the Healthy Democracy Ecosystem Map.
The National Civic League is close to launching its Healthy Democracy Ecosystem Map and is looking for help making sure it is as complete as possible. Fill out this form to ensure that your organization is included.
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