Today as in the past, we need the Supreme Court to maintain immigrant rights, voting rights, women’s rights, civil rights, workers’ rights, and marriage rights for all who call America home. But the delay in Senate consideration of Judge Garland’s nomination leaves a vacancy on the Supreme Court – jeopardizing our freedom, equality, and access to justice. As people of faith from different and diverse faith traditions, we know from firsthand knowledge that millions of our neighbors and their livelihoods are on the line. We call upon the Senate to take action because we recognize and honor the sacred task with which our nation’s Supreme Court justices are charged. Within our western religious canon, we are guided by the words of King Solomon – wisest of judges – who conferred his Proverbs with this purpose: “That (people) may know wisdom and instruction, understand words of insight, receive instruction in wise dealing, righteousness, justice, and equity.” (Proverbs 1:2-3) Today the work of justice in our nation is at risk of being thwarted and wise guidance being denied its people by the continued refusal of the Senate leadership to hold hearings. As representatives of many religious and spiritual traditions, we therefore, respectfully urge the Senate to fulfill its duties as outlined in the Constitution by holding a fair, timely, and comprehensive hearing for Chief Judge Merrick Garland. In faith and in shared hope for our democracy,

Together we watched Alton Sterling and Philando Castile die in police encounters within 24 hours. So far 137 black people have been killed by police this year alone. Some of us are numb and tired; others angry and heartbroken. Then, we watched in shock as a lone gunman disrupted a peaceful protest in Dallas and opened fire on police, killing five officers, followed by another shooting in Baton Rouge killing three officers. We have now entered a moment of deafening crisis -- distrust, division, and ongoing violence. We know that the heinous actions of lone gunmen do not represent the Black Lives Matter Movement. We have marched by your side, prayed with you at vigils, and have heeded your calls to action. In every moment, you have never stopped calling for dignity, justice and respect through peaceful nonviolent protest. But already fear-mongers are using the deaths of these police officers to vilify and stifle the Black Lives Matter movement and erase the justice demanded by Sterling, Castile, and countless others. They are justifying the militarization of police departments, surveillance of black activists, suspicion and profiling based on race, and hostility toward communities of color. Black activists and communities: We ask that you not despair. We ask that you feel our love by your side, and let this love keep you brave and resolute, just as you have made us brave and resolute. We are Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Sikh, Hindu, Humanist, and other people of moral conscience. We are black, brown, white, gay, straight, lesbian, bi, and trans. We grieve the loss of every Black life lost in encounters with police. We are with you because we know all lives cannot matter unless black lives matter. Law enforcement officers: We see you. You are on the frontlines every day. You are our spouses and children; you are our brothers and sisters; you are our neighbors and friends. You have pledged to protect us: the officers killed in the line of duty in Dallas died while protecting the most vital function of our democracy – our freedoms to march, protest and express ourselves. We ask that you share our prophetic grief. We grieve every police officer killed in the line of duty, and those wounded in attacks, just as we grieve every black son and daughter killed in a police encounter. It is an undisputed fact that systemic racism is a historic and intractable problem across America, including in America’s police departments. We believe the best way to honor all the people we grieve is to find a solution – together. We pledge to dismantle racism with revolutionary love – for police officers and the black and brown communities who struggle each day for dignity. We will hold all perpetrators of violence accountable, even as we build bonds of understanding and respect between police officers and communities. We will call for police accountability, even as we show love and respect for every officer who shares our commitment to end all forms of violence. We will stand by the side of women and men who bleed to give our children a more just and beautiful world. We will not be bystanders. This is our #propheticgrief. This is our #revolutionarylove. We are called to #mendthegap. And #westandwithlove. Signed: Valarie Kaur Michael-Ray Mathews Brian McLaren Rev. Dr. Jacqui Lewis Bishop Gene Robinson Rev. Dr. Katharine Henderson Sister Simone Campbell Rabbi Sharon Brous

While we as people of faith are fighting to keep immigrant families together, the Supreme Court just denied millions of undocumented children and parents their God-given right to stay united with their families. That’s a setback for our entire nation and puts millions of families in danger of being separated, disrupting communities and our economy. The Court’s split decision means that millions continue to live in fear of deportation. We need the Court to rehear the case. And we need common sense policies that move us forward together, united to uphold our nation’s values of integrity and family unity. Though this decision is a moral failing of the justice and political systems, it is not the finish line. As people of faith, are standing alongside our immigrant brothers and sisters and taking action to keep families and communities together. We are calling on the Department of Justice to immediately request a rehearing, which the Supreme Court may grant, for the DAPA / DACA+ case, Texas vs. United States. And on November 8th, we vow to go to the polls to vote with fierce love for all families and the belief that no one should ever live in fear of being torn away from their family and community. Meanwhile, we call on President Obama to immediately stop the raids targeting Central American asylum seekers and put a moratorium on all deportations for the rest of his term and until the DAPA / DACA+ case is reheard in the Supreme Court and decided upon. With one voice, united as people of faith, we call on President Obama to use his power to stop deportations and honor the human dignity of each of our immigrant brothers and sisters.

Our faith traditions call us to love one another, to mourn those who have died, to comfort the despairing, to speak out against injustice, and to work for the transformation of our world. In this time of mixed emotions and responses, we turn to our faith for guidance, hope, and healing. We lift up the voices of LGBTQ people and stand in solidarity with the LGBTQ community against transphobia, biphobia, and homophobia. We acknowledge that this shooting is part of a larger culture of hostility toward transgender, gender nonconforming, lesbian, gay, and bisexual people. We reject the use of religion to promote judgment or violence toward LGBTQ people. We acknowledge that the shooting at Pulse occurred on “Latin Night” and disproportionally affected the Latinx LGBTQ community. We lift up the voices of LGBTQ Latinx people and stand in solidarity with the Latinx community against racism, the targeting of black and brown bodies, and the ongoing criminalization of Latinx lives. We disavow rhetoric that seeks to devalue and dehumanize Latinx people. As we seek to respond to this tragedy, we celebrate the lives of those who were killed and the gifts of their sexual and gender diversity. Our faith traditions draw us closer together—not to further exclusion, fear, or enmity. We lift up the voices of LGBTQ Muslims and stand in solidarity with the Muslim community against Islamophobia, anti-Muslim bigotry, and the scapegoating of Islam for this act of violence. We mourn and seek justice together as a community of faith. We also lift up those who are diagnosed with mental illness. We refuse to succumb to rhetoric that hastily or unduly assigns mental illness as the cause of this tragedy, further stigmatizing those diagnosed with mental illness. As people of faith, we long for a world where love triumphs over hate and fear. Our faith traditions call us to seek justice. We commit to working so that all people can flourish and live whole, authentic lives.

It should not be this easy in America for a person with murderous intent to purchase weapons of war. Nearly a year ago, I was on my way to Charleston with a group of faith leaders to deliver prayers from the faith community to the families of those murdered at Mother Emanuel AME church. A year later, and I find myself again mourning the loss of innocent people, most in the prime of their life--many Latino--celebrating Latino pride. In both tragedies, the question is the same -- how could a troubled young man so steeped in violent expressions of hate get a gun so easily? A few years earlier, it was an attack on a Sikh Temple, where a troubled man killed 6 innocent Sikh people in Oak Creek Wisconsin. Before that, Newtown. Racism, homophobia, transphobia sexism, xenophobia, and mental illness might be killers on their own, but our gun laws have outfitted these killers for combat. That’s why, as a Lesbian woman of faith fed up with our gun laws, I’ve launched this petition thanking Sen. Chris Murphy for being willing to be a voice of moral courage on guns and to call on his colleagues to honor his request for a vote. The filibuster ended late last night, but as Senator Murphy stated last night, the fight will not be over until we change our gun safety laws in America. Sen. Murphy has done exactly the right thing -- but every lawmaker right now is getting pressure from the gun lobby to back off doing anything to change our gun laws. They need to hear from us. We need to show our Senators that people of faith don’t want Sen. Chris Murphy to stop preaching the truth about guns in America until their Senate colleagues hold a vote on gun violence prevention legislation. Clergy and faith leaders are often put in the position of pastoring to a community after the loss of life at the hands of a firearm. Yet, a lot of these deaths could be prevented with better gun violence prevention laws. We cannot let this epidemic continue in our communities. As Senator Cory Booker stated on the Senate Floor during the filibuster last night, “Faith without works is not enough. Prayer at this moment is not enough.” Sign the petition right now, and share it with your friends.

Martin was taken away from his family and his home Tuesday, May 10, 2016 at 6:00 AM. ICE did not provide a warrant, but his nephew opened the door, because ICE told him they were looking for his uncle, Martin, and said that if he didn’t take then to him, he wouldn’t like it. They didn’t have any paper work other than a piece of paper with his A # and where they were taking him to, Centennial. According to his lawyer, they lied to him and told him he was to sign a paper saying he had answered questions, but he actually signed a paper reinstating his last deportation and giving up his rights to fight it. In 2010, Martin received an order of deportation after being brought in for a DUI. He was scared and signed his voluntary departure. However, he wasn’t driving when they gave him the DUI, he was sleeping in his car in front of his house. A neighbor called the police and they gave him a DUI. Afterwards, Martin left due to his voluntary departure, but returned a couple of months later when his mother was diagnosed with cancer. In mid-April 2016 in Arapahoe county, as he was leaving work, he was followed by a cop and as he was about to get on the highway he was pulled over at the gas station. Martin asked why he was pulled over and wasn’t given a reason, seemingly he was racially profiled. He was cited for driving without a license, and they took him to Arapahoe County Jail, where he stayed for one day. His daughter bailed him out for $1000, however, three weeks later ICE came to his home in the early morning and took him away from his family who needs him. Martin in the only support his daughter and grand daughter have. He has been here 17 or 18 years, since 1999.

BACKGROUND In an historic event at the Washington National Cathedral on October 23, 2015, over 100 faith leaders from Christian, Jewish, Sikh and Muslim communities joined together to commit to reject and speak out against bigotry, discrimination, harassment, and violence based on religion or belief. In the wake of increased hate speech, hate crimes and discrimination against Muslims and persons perceived to be Muslim, it is vital for us all join this same commitment to condemning and speaking out against bigotry, discrimination, harassment, and violence based on religion or belief. America was founded on the ideal of religious freedom, and as Americans of all faiths and none, we need to work together to ensure those promises for all. Ideals don't uphold themselves- it takes action and courage from all of us to advance them. Will you join us in endorsing this Pledge? Beyond endorsing the Pledge, we invite you to join us through hosting an event in your local congregation, where members of your faith community can talk about anti-Muslim bigotry and how the faith community can stand united. FOUNDING PLEDGE ENDORSERS INCLUDE: His Eminence Cardinal Theodore McCarrick Imam Mohamed Magid Pastor Dr. Bob Roberts Rabbi Jonah Dov Pesner Rev. Dr. Sharon Watkins Rev. Dr. J. Herbert Nelson Dr. Rajwant Singh Rev. Dr. Susan Henry-Crowe Rev. Dr. John Dorhauer Dr. Carroll Baltimore Rev. Brent Walker Imam Talib Shareef Rabbi Jack Moline Dr. Azhar Azeez Sr. Patricia Chappell Rev. Barry Lynn Rev. Richard Cizik Imam Omar Suleiman

Beginning in 2008, U.S. women religious in the U.S. came under heavy scrutiny by the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith (CDF). In the spring of 2012, the CDF issued a statement accusing U.S. women religious of supporting "radical feminist themes" and "corporate dissent." Now, the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life have summoned the Sisters of Loretto, a major order of U.S. Catholic Sisters, to Rome to account for "areas of concern" and accusing them of not doing enough to follow Church teachings. The investigations must stop! Catholics deeply value the prophetic witness of women religious and appreciate their commitment to social justice. We stand with the Loretto Sisters and all women religious who are serving our Church and world!

Cristina and her husband Alberto have three beautiful daughters, 9months, 21 months and 4 years old. The 30 year old mother has been fighting her deportation since 2008, when she was just 21. She is awaiting for a response on her stay of removal application. “We're hopeful that, Immigration and Customs Enforcement will use their discretion to protect the well being of this mother and her three citizen children” declared Gabriela Flora, Program Director at the American Friends Service Committee. Cristina’s community is requesting that the ICE Colorado Field Office approve Cristina's application of a stay of removal while she and her mother wait to see if they will qualify for a UVISA (a visa designed for victims and witnesses of crime). Cristina has three non-violent misdemeanor convictions from when she was young and with her now ex-husband. Cristina was able to escape that abusive relationship and turn her life around. The sentencing judge in her case found she had suffered more than enough for the mistakes she made. After that, she began attending church and later got involved with community organizations. For over a decade she's had a clean record and a different life. She met and later partnered with Alberto, the father of her three children, and is a happy stay at home mom who one day hopes to go on to college. She loves nurturing her 4 year old daughter Dariana's dreams of becoming a doctor and answering her many questions about the world.

Imagine being the victim of a violent crime, but having nowhere to turn because you are afraid of the police, and don’t trust the justice system to help you. For too many Hondurans, this is their reality. For years, officers in the National Police force stole from or harmed the same citizens they were supposed to protect. Not knowing who in the police they could trust, citizens didn’t report crimes, criminals remained at large, and violence troubled the country. Removing corrupt police from the force is absolutely essential to combat crime and violence in Honduras, which is why recent successful efforts at reform are so exciting, and deserve so much support. A new “Police Purging Commission” has been appointed to review the entire 12,000-member police force, and – in a bold move that has never before been done – they are starting from the top. The brave citizens that make up the Commission have reviewed 272 of the highest-ranking police chiefs in the last two months, and they have removed 39% – 106 high-ranking officers linked to crime and corruption that will no longer be able to use their position to harm others! The Commission is touching powerful interests in firing these corrupt officers, and have received death threats for their work. Their families have been forced to relocate for safety. In this time of so much potential for change, Honduras needs people to stand behind and support the efforts of the Commission towards improving peace and public security. As people who care about Honduras, we are asking that US lawmakers take all measures possible to pressure the Honduran government to support these reforms and to protect the individuals who are in charge of seeing them implemented. Together, we look forward to police force that Hondurans can trust, one that will truly help to create a more peaceful and just Honduras.

Erik has lived in the US for more than 15 years. As a young man in the 1990s he was a victim of a crime and he helped police convict the person who held a gun to Erik's head. After that traumatic event, Erik made some mistakes, one of which led to him being convicted of being involved in a theft. After those events, he cleaned up his life, married and had two children. "Erik is the person who is always helping others. He never asks for help" says his youngest sister. Erik cares for and maintains the house of an elderly and disabled woman in his neighborhood. He's the first person his family calls when they need something. His daughters both need him, particularly as they face learning challenges and his support keeps them trying at school. His step-son also relies on Erik as a role model. Please sign this petition to keep Erik with his family and to ask Immigration to look at his whole life, not just the mistakes he made so many years ago.

President Obama: As people of faith with a deep and abiding concern for the welfare of all children, we want to applaud you and your administration for the recent decision to interpret and enforce Title IX — a statute, written in 1972, that prohibits sex discrimination — as also prohibiting discrimination on the basis of "gender identity, including discrimination based on a student’s transgender status.” We recognize that this is a confusing and even unsettling issue for many, while for others who have faced discrimination this has been a harmful experience long ignored. From our perspective, however, you have simply taken another step toward creating a nation where the basic civil rights of all are protected. Too many LGBTQ youths are lost and abandoned. Many of these young people end up living in poverty and on the streets. None of these children should face discrimination at school or barriers in getting an education. We believe that protecting young people from discrimination is consistent with our faith. Love – not fear – should be our guiding principle. We challenge those who might respond to this decision to open their hearts and listen to the stories, particularly of transgender students, who are so often marginalized. Thank you for showing us a better path. Rev. Dr. Chuck Currie Director, Center for Peace and Spirituality & University Chaplain, Pacific University Rev. Dr. Alice Hunt, President and Associate Professor of Hebrew Bible & Theological Education, Chicago Theological Seminary Rev. Dr. Traci D. Blackmon, Executive Minister, Justice & Witness Ministries, United Church of Christ Sister Simone Campbell, SSS, Executive Director, NETWORK, A National Catholic Social Justice Lobby Rabbi Michael Z. Cahana, Senior Rabbi, Temple Beth Israel | Portland, Oregon Rev. Dr. Deborah Krause, Academic Dean and Professor of New Testament, Eden Theological Seminary Rev. Dr. Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite, Professor of Theology and President Emerita, Chicago Theological Seminary Rev. Michael Neuroth, Policy Advocate for International Issues, United Church of Christ, Justice and Witness Ministries Rev. Dr. Derrick Harkins, Senior Vice-President for Innovations in Public Programs, Union Theological Seminary in New York City * titles are used for identification purposes only