The Steady Drip: Alliance for Justice (AFJ) (Connecting the Dots: The Alliance for Justice, The Center for Reproductive Rights, The Drug Policy Alliance, The Human Rights Campaign, The Innocence Project, The National Education Association, The Natural Resources Defense Council, The Planned Parenthood Federation of America, The Sierra Club, The Southern Poverty Law Center, Ilhan Omar’s Husband Tim Mynett & Soros Funding, All Networking)

Alliance for Justice (AFJ) (Connecting the Dots: The Alliance for Justice, The Center for Reproductive Rights, The Drug Policy Alliance, The Human Rights Campaign, The Innocence Project, The National Education Association, The Natural Resources Defense Council, The Planned Parenthood Federation of America, The Sierra Club, The Southern Poverty Law Center, Ilhan Omar’s Husband Tim Mynett & Soros Funding, All Networking)

https://afj.org/about/

Alliance for Justice (AFJ) stands as the premier nonprofit organization committed to fortifying the progressive movement through its unwavering focus on federal and state courts and building power by providing unique resources to maximize nonprofits’ advocacy capacity. Headquartered in Washington, DC, AFJ uses a distinct and unique combination of technical and content expertise, deep reach in movement advocacy and legal networks, and trusted decades-long experience to transform our courts through judicial nominations and ensure everyone has the power to shape the policies that affect our lives. With a membership of over 135 partner organizations, AFJ represents a diverse and powerful array of groups united in their dedication to progressive values and the transformative goal of reshaping the judiciary for the betterment of all. The recent election has only underscored the critical nature of AFJ’s mission, highlighting the urgent need for a fair and impartial court system and progressive nonprofit sector that upholds the rights and freedoms of all Americans.

Our Mission

We build the strength of progressive movements by
training and educating nonprofit organizations on advocacy and harnessing their collective power to transform our state and federal courts.

Our Vision

AFJ envisions a vibrant, ambitious, multiracial constitutional democracy where historically marginalized voices are amplified to upend exclusionary systems and center justice in our institutions of power.

Our DEIA Statement

At Alliance for Justice, we celebrate the richness that our differences bring. We believe that diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) are not just principles, but the foundation of our strength. Every individual brings a distinct and invaluable perspective, and we thrive when all voices are encouraged to speak openly, authentically, and with confidence. By embracing who we are and where we come from, we create a culture where everyone is welcomed, heard, and empowered to contribute to our collective mission.

Our Story

The impetus for AFJ’s creation came in 1971, when the famous “Powell Memo” argued that the “American economic system [was] under broad attack” and urged the business community to weaponize the courts to serve business interests. In a few short years, AFJ realized that the times called for a program focused on judicial selection. AFJ launched its Judicial Selection Project in the mid-1980s with an Advisory Committee drawn from 20 like-minded progressive nonprofits.

AFJ was founded by attorney and activist Nan Aron in 1979, in response to a growing threat from the far right to decades of progressive advances in the United States.

From July of 2021 through July of 2024, Rakim Brooks spearheaded the evolution of Alliance for Justice as it adapts to the increased politicization of the courts at all levels. Through triumphs like the historic confirmation of Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson to disappointments like the unprecedented overturning of Roe v. Wade, AFJ has continued to advocate for a Court that reflects the diversity of the country and protects the rights of all of us, not just the wealthy and powerful.

Elevating Judicial Nominations

In the years that followed, AFJ’s research and advocacy around federal judicial nominations would become a beacon for the progressive community — leading opposition movements against high-profile nominees such as Robert Bork, Clarence Thomas, and Brett Kavanaugh. During the Clinton and Obama presidencies, AFJ helped hundreds of highly qualified people ascend to the federal bench.

Launching Bolder Advocacy

The launch of AFJ’s Bolder Advocacy program in the mid-1990s served as an invaluable resource for advocates for justice and the rights of all. Bolder Advocacy originated from a political climate in which a growing number of conservative federal judges were ruling against consumers’ rights, workers’ rights, civil rights, and the environment. Organizations advocating for these rights then turned to state legislatures to advance their missions. Bolder Advocacy was created to help these nonprofit groups and the foundations that fund them fully understand and exercise their rights to advocate for their causes, while staying within the laws governing their nonprofit status. Bolder Advocacy continues this important mission today. Given the political climate, this work has never been more important.

AFJ’s Founder

Iconic leader, Founder, and President of AFJ, Nan Aron stepped down in 2021, after 42 years of unparalleled determination and visionary leadership.

Nan was at the forefront of securing a judiciary that protects the constitutional rights of all individuals. During her tenure, she, along with our extraordinary staff, built the nation’s premier organization focused on social justice and the courts. Under Nan’s stewardship, AFJ led — and continues to lead — the charge against ultraconservative judicial nominees and has paved the way for hundreds of confirmations of well-qualified, fair-minded judges to take seats on the federal bench.

Alliance for Justice

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alliance_for_Justice

The Alliance for Justice (AFJ) is a progressive judicial advocacy group in the United States.^[3][4] Founded in 1979 by Nan Aron, AFJ monitors federal judicial appointments. AFJ represents a coalition of 135 politically liberal groups that have an interest in the federal judiciary.^[5] The Alliance for Justice presents a modern liberal viewpoint on legal issues.

Judicial advocacy

AFJ launched the Judicial Selection Project in 1985 to monitor the federal judicial appointment system.^[7] According to AFJ's founder, Nan Aron, the organization wanted to guard against the ideological impact of Ronald Reagan's federal judicial nominees.^[8] AFJ objects to judicial nominees who oppose abortion or who promise to exercise judicial restraint.^[4] The organization provides background on prospective nominees to the American Bar Association and the Senate Judiciary Committee.^[4]

AFJ played a role in the defeat of Ronald Reagan nominee Robert Bork's nomination to the Supreme Court of the United States in 1987.^[9] In 2001, the organization supported the nomination of Roger Gregory, a Bill Clinton nominee and the first African-American judge in the Fourth Circuit in 2001.^[10] In 2013, AFJ supported President Barack Obama's three nominees for the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.

Member organizations

AFJ reports a membership of over 130 organizations. As of 2025, member groups include:

Advancement Project

Advocates for Youth

AIDS United

Alliance for the Great Lakes

Americans for Financial Reform

Autistic Self Advocacy Network

Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law

Bend the Arc

Beyond Toxics

CenterLink

Center for Constitutional Rights

Center for Reproductive Rights

Center for Science in the Public Interest

Compassion & Choices

Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund

Drug Policy Alliance

Earthjustice

Equal Rights Advocates

Equality Federation

Faith in Action

Food & Water Watch

Free Press

Friends of the Earth

Human Rights Campaign Foundation

Innocence Project

International Center for Research on Women

Jobs with Justice

Juvenile Law Center

Lambda Legal

Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law

League of Conservation Voters Education Fund

MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger

Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund

Mi Familia Vota

Move to Amend

National Abortion Federation

National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers

National Center for Lesbian Rights

National Center for Transgender Equality

National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy

National Council of Jewish Women

National Education Association

National Immigration Forum

National LGBTQ Task Force

National Parks Conservation Association

National Partnership for Women and Families

National Women's Law Center

Native American Rights Fund

Natural Resources Defense Council

New Pennsylvania Project

Next Up

People's Action

PFLAG

Planned Parenthood Federation of America

PolicyLink

Race Forward

Reproductive Freedom for All

Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors

Service Employees International Union

SIECUS

Sierra Club Foundation

Southern Poverty Law Center

The Arc

Texas Freedom Network

Tides Center

Transgender Law Center

Violence Policy Center

Younger Women's Task Force

YWCA

Connecting the Dots:

Alliance for Justice
Tim Mynett was a Foundation Manager at the Alliance for Justice, an advocacy group that fights for a fair justice system, received his bachelor’s degree from SUNY (The State University of New York) in 2003 and is married to Ilhan Omar.

Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld, LLP was the lobby firm for the State University of New York (SUNY).

Vernon E. Jordan Jr. is a senior counsel for Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld, LLP and an honorary trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank).

Foundation to Promote Open Society was a funder for the Brookings Institution (think tank).

George Soros was the chairman for the Foundation to Promote Open Society and is the founder & chairman for the Open Society Foundations.

Open Society Foundations was a funder for the Alliance for Justice and the American Constitution Society.

Robert Raben was a director at the American Constitution Society, is a director at the Alliance for Justice and the president of the Raben Group.

Raben Group is the lobby firm for the Center for Reproductive Rights, the Innocence Project and was the lobby firm for the National Education Association (NEA).

Center for Reproductive Rights is a member organization for the Alliance for Justice.

Innocence Project is a member organization for the Alliance for Justice.

National Education Association (NEA) is a member organization for the Alliance for Justice.

John I. Wilson was an executive director for the National Education Association (NEA) and is a director at the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network.

Raben Group is the lobby firm for the Center for Reproductive Rights, the Innocence Project and was the lobby firm for the National Education Association (NEA).

Melody C. Barnes was a principal at the Raben Group, an EVP at the Center for American Progress, a domestic policy council, director for the Barack Obama administration and is Barack Obama’s golf partner.

Open Society Foundations was a funder for the Center for American Progress.

George Soros is the founder & chairman for the Open Society Foundations, was the chairman for the Foundation to Promote Open Society and a supporter for the Center for American Progress.

Foundation to Promote Open Society was a funder for the Center for American Progress and the Brookings Institution (think tank).

Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld, LLP was a funder for the Center for American Progress and the State University of New York (SUNY).

Vernon E. Jordan Jr. is a senior counsel for Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld, LLP and an honorary trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank).

Tim Mynett was an advocacy group that fights for a fair justice system, received his bachelor’s degree from SUNY (The State University of New York) in 2003 as Foundation Manager at the Alliance for Justice and is married to Ilhan Omar.

Center for Reproductive Rights is a member organization for the Alliance for Justice.

Innocence Project is a member organization for the Alliance for Justice.

National Education Association (NEA) is a member organization for the Alliance for Justice.

John I. Wilson was an executive director for the National Education Association (NEA) and is a director at the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network.

Kevin Jennings was the founder & executive director for the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network and an assistant deputy secretary for the U.S. Department of Education.

Shirley M. Hufstedler was the secretary for the U.S. Department of Education and a lifetime trustee at the Aspen Institute (think tank).

Foundation to Promote Open Society was a funder for the Aspen Institute (think tank) and Demos.

George Soros was the chairman for the Foundation to Promote Open Society and a contributor for the American Bridge 21st Century.

Demos was a funder for the National Education Association (NEA).

National Education Association (NEA) is a member organization for the Alliance for Justice.

American Bridge 21st Century was a contributor for the National Education Association (NEA).

John Stocks is an executive director at the National Education Association (NEA) and the chairman of the Democracy Alliance.

George Soros was a member of the Democracy Alliance, a supporter for the Center for American Progress and is the founder & chairman for the Open Society Foundations.

Open Society Foundations was a funder for the Center for American Progress.

Melody C. Barnes was an EVP at the Center for American Progress, a domestic policy council, director for the Barack Obama administration, a principal at the Raben Group and is Barack Obama’s golf partner.

Raben Group is the lobby firm for the Center for Reproductive Rights, the Innocence Project and was the lobby firm for the National Education Association (NEA).

Robert Raben is the president of the Raben Group, a director at the Alliance for Justice and was a director at the American Constitution Society.

Open Society Foundations was a funder for the Alliance for Justice and the American Constitution Society.

George Soros is the founder & chairman for the Open Society Foundations and was the chairman for the Foundation to Promote Open Society.

Foundation to Promote Open Society was a funder for the Brookings Institution (think tank).

Tim Mynett was a Foundation Manager at the Alliance for Justice, an advocacy group that fights for a fair justice system, received his bachelor’s degree from SUNY (The State University of New York) in 2003 and is married to Ilhan Omar.

Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld, LLP was the lobby firm for the State University of New York (SUNY).

Vernon E. Jordan Jr. is a senior counsel for Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld, LLP and an honorary trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank).

Center for Reproductive Rights

Center for Reproductive Rights is a member organization for the Alliance for Justice.

Innocence Project is a member organization for the Alliance for Justice.

National Education Association (NEA) is a member organization for the Alliance for Justice.

Raben Group is the lobby firm for the Center for Reproductive Rights, the Innocence Project and was the lobby firm for the National Education Association (NEA).

Open Society Foundations was a funder for the Center for American Progress.

Foundation to Promote Open Society was a funder for the Center for American Progress and the Brookings Institution (think tank).

Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld, LLP was a funder for the Center for American Progress and the State University of New York (SUNY).

Vernon E. Jordan Jr. is a senior counsel for Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld, LLP and an honorary trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank).

Drug Policy Alliance

Drug Policy Alliance is a member organization for the Alliance for Justice.

Open Society Foundations was a funder for the Drug Policy Alliance.

George Soros is the founder & chairman for the Open Society Foundations and a director at the Drug Policy Alliance.

Jodie Evans is a director at the Drug Policy Alliance, a co-founder for the Codepink and a trustee at the Institute for Policy Studies.

Katrina vanden Heuvel is a trustee at the Institute for Policy Studies and a trustee at the Roosevelt Institute.

Jonathan Soros is a senior fellow at the Roosevelt Institute, George Soros’s son and was the vice chairman for the Foundation to Promote Open Society.

George Soros is Jonathan Soros’s father, the founder & chairman for the Open Society Foundations and was the chairman for the Foundation to Promote Open Society.

Foundation to Promote Open Society was a funder for the Roosevelt Institute and the Brookings Institution (think tank).

Vernon E. Jordan Jr. is an honorary trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank) and a senior counsel for Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld, LLP.

Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld, LLP was a funder for the State University of New York (SUNY) and the Center for American Progress.