Originally published on Philly.com
By Diane Mastrull
The rallies were held Sunday in numerous cities across the country. They had a single purpose: stopping the confirmation of President Trump’s nominee to the Supreme Court, Brett Kavanaugh, a conservative circuit judge of the federal appeals court for the District of Columbia.
Collectively, the action organized by Unite For Justice was aiming to be the largest single day of protest for a Supreme Court nominee.
In Philadelphia, more than 200 protesters gathered in the City Hall courtyard to urge opposition to Kavanaugh’s confirmation by the Senate.The demonstration was coordinated by more than a dozen organizations. RefuseFascism.org planned marches held before and after the rally.
First, reproductive-rights advocates stood in the middle of Broad Street at Sansom in silent protest, dressed in clothing modeled after that worn by characters in The Handmaid’s Tale, a television series based on the best-selling novel about a fictitious totalitarian society where women are state property. The protesters then joined the larger rally at City Hall, where speakers included U.S. Rep. Dwight Evans, a Democrat from Philadelphia.
Kavanaugh is scheduled to appear before the Senate for his confirmation hearing on Sept. 4.