In "Our Rights in Peril: The Future of the Courts,"Rabbi Saperstein discusses the importance of the judiciary in making crucial decisions that affect our everyday lives, even when we feel far removed from the court process - and details the potential dangers of a future Supreme Court that leans more conservatively than the present. For both these reasons, he encourages progressive religious organizations to follow the Reform Movement's lead in "creating formal processes for considering whether to oppose and support judicial nominees." Rabbi Saperstein writes:

It is far past time for the religious community to join the many progressive organizations that are fighting for a fair and independent judiciary. Sitting out vital debates about judicial nominees jeopardizes the crucial gains we have made and will make in the legislative arena. We need to ensure the appointment of judges who will uphold an expansive interpretation of the law as it applies to our fundamental rights and the separation of church and state.

Don't take my word for it - check out Rabbi Saperstein's Huffington Post piece for yourself, and then click on through to the RAC's page on Judicial Nominations to learn more about what we're doing and, of course, what you can do. There, you'll find resources like background information, key terminology, URJ resolutions and the RAC's latest publication on judicial nominations, titled Rights in Peril: Why the American Jewish Community and Others Cannot Afford to Sit Out the Debate Over Judicial Nominations.