President Trump’s nominee for Justice Anthony Kennedy’s replacement will be taken from a list of 25 respected and qualified, but highly conservative judges. Any one of them could pave the way for rulings that would eviscerate Roe v. Wade, women’s rights, the Affordable Care Act, minorities’ and voters’ rights and the separation of church and state over the next 25 to 40 years – the power to shape the landscape of our lives.

These potential nominees, chosen by the Federalist Society and Heritage Foundation, have each demonstrated a predisposition to protecting corporate power and money in politics, exemplified in the Citizens United decision, and to allowing churches to engage politically.

The appointment to an already-conservative court of any judge with views that are so hostile to a genuine democratic process will be the most devastating and significant consequence of the Trump presidency to a country that purports to stand for equality and justice for all.

Sen. Susan Collins is pivotal to confirming any nominee for this monumentally powerful position. She must, on principle, vote against any nominee who is suspected of harboring such sentiments – whether or not there is concrete evidence – or we will vote her out of office.

Our voices must be raised in outcry against the subversion of the democratic values that the majority of Americans still believe in: caring for one another, the freedom to choose who you love and where you live, the power to control your own body and – most of all – the right to vote.

Our voices are the only force that stands between a poor destiny for our children and grandchildren, and one that is rich in true justice and shared opportunity. We all need to shout!

Jane Card