On January 29, 2009, President Obama signed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act into law, restoring the rights taken away by the Supreme Court in Ledbetter v. Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company. One year to the day, a new movement is afoot to correct the Court.

Roe v. Wade established a constitutional right to privacy and protected a woman's right to make reproductive decisions based on her own life, health, and conscience. Today, on the 37th anniversary of this landmark ruling, we face a new call to action.

Senator Durbin once referred to America's immigration crisis as a "crisis of humanity." Yesterday, Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor agreed when she referred to immigrants not as "illegal" or "alien" but as "undocumented." Use of this humanizing term marks both the first ruling of Justice Sotomayor's high court career, and also the first time such a term has been used by the Court as a whole - ever.

Today marks an historic step forward in the fight for equality. With the signing of the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, President Obama sent loud and clear the message that freedom from violence is a right all Americans should enjoy.

Last night, in a 178-234 vote, the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act moved one step closer to becoming law. This legislation protects victims of hate crimes based on disability, sexual orientation, gender, or gender identity.

As you may know, People For the American Way has taken the lead in supporting Judge Sonia Sotomayor's nomination to serve as an Associate Justice on the United States Supreme Court. With a busy July ahead, including hearings set to begin on the 13th, I need your help.

With Congress on recess, I thought it'd be a good time to take a break from the Policy Corner to share my journey from the Buckeye State to the Beltway.

Long lines at the polls on Election Day are a problem not to be ignored. But imagine if you had been standing in line to vote since 1801. That's where you'll find the nearly 600,000 Americans living in DC. Thankfully, their 200-year wait is nearly over.

Nearly 80 percent of Americans do not realize that, as House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-5th MD) put it, "out of all of the world's democracies, there is only one national capital without full voting rights: this city full of monuments to democracy."

There's always a lot at stake with the ringing in of a new year. With challenges abound both at home and abroad, 2009 is no exception. President Obama's leadership is critical in making sure America weathers the storm and lives up to its promise. But he's not the only one who must be held accountable in this effort.