Kathy Bonnifield
Senior Program Officer, Judicial Integrity, Piper Fund
For more information on the Judicial Integrity initiative:
Across the nation, strong forces are at work – leading organized, well-funded efforts to consolidate power and erode our system of checks and balances. In fact, courts are the last line of defense against authoritarianism.
The current political climate has emboldened politicians to undermine the role of the judiciary and destroy separation of powers. Moreover, wealthy special interests are spending millions to try to influence our courts and twist them in their favor. Judges are not politicians: they should be free from intimidation and be able to rule on cases independently. We need justice, not politics.
Piper Fund has been at the forefront of the fight for judicial integrity since 2012—in states across the country, from Alaska to Florida—by helping judicial integrity advocates protect our courts, seemingly against all odds.
Judicial integrity is not just about protecting courts, it’s about protecting our rights and our democracy. Piper’s support for advocates’ tireless work guarantees that critical issues we care about—voting rights, fair housing, civil rights, racial justice, environmental justice, and women’s rights, to name a few—are heard and protected by a fair judicial system.
We believe that winning reform and protecting judicial integrity requires a broad and powerful movement. Piper is building this movement through:
Piper regularly commissions analyses and comprehensive research to identify shifts in the landscape, evaluate potential reform efforts, targeted messaging and communications strategies.
For more information on the Judicial Integrity initiative: