5 ways to fight Trump's Supreme Court pick, Brett Kavanaugh

UPDATE: July 9, 2018, 6:06 p.m. PDT This story has been updated to note that President Trump nominated Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the U.S. Supreme Court.

It’s become routine, really. You wake up with an emptiness in your stomach akin to despair. Grabbing your phone, you scroll through each news alert while what's left of your Obama-era hope drains away, and the world looks more and more like a dystopian novel. And, as of Anthony Kennedy's retirement, this horror story now includes Donald Trump appointing not one but two Supreme Court justices.

SEE ALSO:After Kennedy's retirement, are we entering 'Handmaid's Tale' territory?

If Trump gets the pick of his choice, the most powerful judiciary body in the U.S. may very well overturn abortion rights, LGBTQ rights, and voting rights, and leave a lasting conservative stamp on our nation's history. Trump has chosen Brett Kavanaugh, a federal appeals court judge from the D.C. circuit, to be his nominee.

But the fight isn't over yet. You can join liberal advocates and activists trying to pressure centrist Republicans into voting against Kavanaugh's confirmation. These activists want to deny confirmation of Trump's nominee until after the midterm elections, with the hope that Democrats pick up enough seats in the Senate to become the majority party. Democrats could then refuse to confirm Trump's nominee, and potentially force the president to choose a moderate justice.

That may be high-level political strategy, but there are five things anyone can do to help:

1. Call your senators

You have two senators, and you should call both of them. Insist that they refuse to vote on any Trump nominee, at least until the midterm elections. If you’re worried about what to say during that phone call, here is a script, courtesy of the activist group Indivisible.

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This political pressure may ultimately delay confirmation and force the Trump administration to put forward a more moderate candidate, especially if the midterm elections result in a majority Democratic Senate. Don't know who your senator is, or their number? You can find 'em here.

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2. Call your friends

Is your senator a lock to put pressure on Trump? (Thinking of you, Elizabeth Warren and Kamala Harris.) Call them anyway, but you should also contact friends living in West Virginia, North Dakota, Indiana, Maine, or Alaska and encourage them to reach out to their Democratic senators. In particular, Joe Manchin (W.V.), Heidi Heitkamp (N.D.), and Joe Donnelly (Ind.) all voted for Trump-nominated Justice Neil Gorsuch, in January 2017. In order to block a Trump nominee, all 49 Democrats need to stick together. Manchin, Heitkamp, and Donnelly cannot defect.

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As for Maine and Alaska, recall that Trump needs all Senate Republicans to vote on his pick along party lines. Republican Senators Susan Collins (Maine) and Lisa Murkowski (Alaska), have both supported abortion rights and may remain skeptical of Trump's current shortlist. In particular, Murkowski recently said she considers Roe v. Wadesettled law, and that she's looking for a nominee who respects precedent. But, back in the 2016 presidential campaign, Trump promised to nominate anti-abortion rights judges to the Supreme Court. And, even if his nominee avoids answering direct questions about how they'd rule on Roe v. Wade, you can bet they’d issue conservative opinions on abortion.

3. Donate to or volunteer for these organizations

In addition to abortion rights, same-sex marriage, labor union rights, voting rights, campaign-finance reform, climate change, and immigrant rights are all at stake with the addition of a staunchly conservative Supreme Court justice. With this in mind, these organizations need your support to fight Trump's nominee:

• NARAL Pro-Choice America: Likely to be at the forefront of the fight to delay Trump's Supreme Court pick, NARAL is already placing pressure on Collins and Murkowski by sponsoring polls in their states on SCOTUS and Roe v. Wade.

• Planned Parenthood Action Fund: The political advocacy arm of Planned Parenthood, along with other progressive groups, is demanding that potential justices meet a new "personal liberty standard." Like NARAL, Planned Parenthood Action Fund is working to put pressure on Senators Collins and Murkowski.

• American Civil Liberties Union: The ACLU has been crucial to the legal fight against Trump’s travel ban and the administration’s "zero-tolerance" immigration policy.

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• American Federation of Government Employees: This union experienced a major blow in June when the Supreme Court ruled in favor of a decisionthat would allow government workers to opt out of union fees. The group is likely to pay close attention to Trump’s SCOTUS nominee and Senate hearing, as none of Trump’s current choices appear even remotely in favor of protecting union rights. Also consider getting involved with or donating to major unions like the American Federation of Teachersand the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees.

• Lambda Legal: This national LGBTQ rights organization has already come out against a confirmation vote before the midterm elections.

• Human Rights Campaign: As advocates of LGBTQ equality, Human Rights Campaign is also insisting that the Senate wait until after the midterm elections for a confirmation vote.

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• National Association for the Advancement of Colored People: The NAACP is hosting a petition to delay the confirmation vote until January. Together with the National Urban League, NAACP Legal Defense Fund, National Action Network, and National Coalition on Black Civic Participation, the group released a joint statementurging senators to vote against Trump's SCOTUS pick.

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4. Go out and protest

Yep, it's time to bring out your walking shoes, water bottles, creative protest signs, and sassiest protest chants.

To find a protest near you, use this Indivisible link and plug in your zip code. A list of protests should appear on the left-hand side along with respective dates, times, and addresses. Click "RSVP" if you’re interested, and more information, including a link to a Facebook page and a longer description, should appear.

5. Register to vote and prepare for the midterm elections

If the unthinkable happens before the midterms and the Senate approves Trump’s pick, do not despair. It's absolutely imperative that you register to vote and encourage others to do the same before this November.

Apps like TurboVote have made voting very easy, effectively guiding you through the process. When elections happen, the app sends you two reminders: one early notice and another the day before the election. The website will even tell you if it's possible to register online in your district, and guide you through the paper process when that's not the case. Voter registration deadlines vary, but the earliest ones are no longer than a month before election day. In other words, you have between now and October to get on that.

But what’s the point? Does it even matter?

Look, whatever energy you spend fighting this SCOTUS pick isn’t lost even if Trump seats another Supreme Court justice. Organizing is valuable for its own sake: it builds new political networks, making engaged voters stronger for future fights to come. Most importantly, it shows that there's a political cost to pay for senators who go against their constituents' interests.

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