Keeping tabs
It’s important to keep tabs on our democracy. We kept close tabs on the 2022 Midterm races, giving Democrats historical wins, and we’re keeping tabs on the courts. The DOJ is now set to fast-track its espionage case against Trump, with corrupt Judge Cannon forced to dismiss her case that was designed to obstruct the Mar-a-Lago investigation.
But in all the hubbub, it’s easy to lose track of other important court cases. The rightwing activist SCOTUS overturning Roe has resulted in cruel loss of women’s rights.
But women are fighting back. On December 3rd, Indiana Judge Heather Welch ruled that the Republican Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita violated state law by publicly discussing a doctor’s confidential matters. On November 30th, Rokita filed an action with the state licensing board against Dr. Caitlin Bernard after she provided abortion care to a 10-year-old rape survivor. Rokita falsely claimed Dr. Bernard failed to report child abuse of the Ohio girl.
This is where keeping tabs comes in. After the ruling, the deplorable Indiana A.G. moved the case away from Judge Welch to another jurisdiction. Also, seven other people filed similar false complaints against Dr. Bernard, none were patients of Bernard, or even residents of Indiana. These false allegations against Dr. Bernard are designed to defame her, claiming she was lying about the incident to create “misinformation” meant to diminish Ohio and demean “pro-life” supporters. This initial ruling by Welch indicates Dr. Bernard should prevail.
That’s why it’s crucial to keep close tabs on these cases, such as the first Texas Abortion Bounty Hunter case, which was tossed out last week. The sad new reality is that keeping tabs puts pressure on the courts, which used to reliably work independently of public opinion. But the GOP installed rightwing activist SCOTUS justices, judges, and AGs, setting new precedents, and damaging the integrity of the judicial system.
The good news is the pressure may be working. Republicans attempts to shamelessly drag down democracy continues, to their own detriment. Democrats are keeping tabs and will not back down from a fight.
Chicago native Lorraine Evanoff earned her degree in French from DePaul University then became a Certified Financial Manager. She worked as a finance exec in film production for seven years in Paris, then in Silicon Valley during the dot-com era, and later for various Hollywood production companies, notably as CFO of National Lampoon. She is currently living in Los Angeles with her husband.