These Cases Are About More Than the Law. They Are About Power.

As the Supreme Court issues decisions in cases involving transgender youth, birthright citizenship, immigrant communities, voting rights, and democratic participation — including Little v. Hecox, West Virginia v. B.P.J., Trump v. Barbara, and other cases before the Court this term — we must remember that these cases are not separate. They are part of the same story.

This is a story about belonging. And about who gets to make decisions about their bodies, their families, their futures, and their full participation in public life.

Whether the target is abortion access, gender-affirming care, birthright citizenship, immigrant protections, or voting rights, the goal is the same: to narrow freedom by deciding who belongs, who can participate fully in public life, and who has the power to shape the conditions of their own lives. The Supreme Court’s recent and pending cases are not isolated disputes over healthcare, immigration, or elections. They are part of a broader effort to redefine the boundaries of citizenship, participation, and self-determination – the very foundations of a multiracial feminist democracy.

The communities most impacted by these rulings already know what is at stake. They also know that court decisions alone will not determine the future.

Across the country, Groundswell Fund partners are protecting access to care, defending immigrant communities, building mutual aid networks, and creating community-based systems of safety and belonging. They are engaging voters, holding decision-makers accountable, and building power within local communities and across their states as a frontline of defense against authoritarian attacks and federal rollbacks on human rights. Regardless of what happens at the Supreme Court, Groundswell grantees are meeting immediate needs while building long-term power to make another future possible.

We believe bodily autonomy and democracy rise and fall together. When people cannot make decisions about their bodies, families, or futures, self-determination is undermined. When communities are denied a meaningful voice in the decisions that affect them, democracy is weakened.

SCOTUS may issue decisions that limit who deserves protection, belonging, or the freedom to make decisions about their own lives. But no court can organize a neighborhood. No ruling can build trust between communities. No opinion can extinguish the relationships, courage, and collective action that movements have spent generations creating.

That is why Groundswell Fund invests in grassroots organizations. They understand lasting change is built not only in courtrooms, but in communities – where people care for one another, organize together, and create the conditions for everyone to thrive. Grantees continue building something stronger — organizing for a future where bodily autonomy, safety, and self-determination are not privileges reserved for a few, but rights guaranteed to all.

When the Supreme Court issues its rulings this month, we must resist the temptation to see them as the final word. They are one chapter in a much longer story. The future will be written by communities that refuse to surrender their freedom, dignity, or the belief that another world is possible – a world where everyone belongs.

That requires solidarity. It requires long-term investment. And it requires all of us.