Launch on Independence Day Begins with Nationwide Ad Campaign to Reaffirm America’s Democratic Tenets

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Prominent thought leaders, artists, activists, executives, veterans, lawyers and legal scholars, elected officials, and many others today announced the launch of “We Hold These Truths,” a groundbreaking, nationwide effort to promote freedom, equality, and democracy by providing Americans with clear, reliable, and accessible facts about the protections provided under the U.S. Constitution for all people and the work required to safeguard our freedoms and nation’s ideals. The launch coincides with full-page ads running tomorrow, July 4, in The New York Times, Arizona Republic, Cleveland Plain Dealer, Dallas Morning News, and San Francisco Chronicle, reaching millions of Americans on Independence Day. 

Click to view the ad

An op-ed by U.C. Berkeley School of Law Dean Erwin Chemerinsky and former Judge for the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit J. Michael Luttig on this effort will also publish on July 4 in the Los Angeles Times.

“We Hold These Truths” unites people across the political spectrum, communities, and professional sectors to share accessible principles and civic values that are increasingly under threat today. The initiative will promote civic education and information to encourage engagement by all Americans committed to our democracy and shared future. “We Hold These Truths” highlights enduring principles, including:

  • Personal Freedoms: Upholding free speech, fair criminal justice, and personal autonomy.
  • Equality: Guaranteeing equal rights and opportunities for every American, recognizing that freedom depends on equality for all.
  • Democracy and Elections: Supporting accessible voting, honoring election results, and protecting the peaceful transfer of power.
  • The Rule of Law: Limiting government power through equality before the law, due process, judicial independence, and accountability.
  • Separation of Powers: Ensuring no branch of government exceeds its constitutional authority, preserving checks and balances.

The effort urges all Americans to join by reading, sharing, and committing to defending these values— especially as the nation celebrates its founding ideals on July 4. The initiative has plans to facilitate engagement and education in community settings as well as online and through media.  

Early supporters represent a distinguished and diverse coalition, including:

  • Stacey Abrams, former Minority Leader, Georgia House of Representatives
  • Sophia Bush, actor and activist
  • Pete Buttigieg, former U.S. Secretary of Transportation
  • Lynda Carter, actor
  • Erwin Chemerinsky, Dean of U.C. Berkeley Law School*
  • Wesley Clark, four-star general, U.S. Army (ret.); Supreme Allied Commander, NATO (ret.)
  • Barbara Comstock, former United States Representative, Virginia’s 10th Congressional District
  • Rachel Dratch, comedian and podcast host
  • Thomas Griffith, Judge, United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit (ret.) 
  • Deb Haaland, former U.S. Secretary of the Interior
  • Robert Henry, Judge, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit (ret.)
  • Sherrilyn Ifill, civil rights leader and legal scholar
  • Peter Keisler, former Acting Attorney General of the United States
  • Harold Koh, former Dean, Yale Law School
  • J. Michael Luttig, Judge, United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit (ret.)*
  • Sharon McMahon, bestselling author and editor-in-chief of The Preamble
  • Julianne Moore, actor
  • Skye Perryman, lawyer and President & CEO, Democracy Forward*
  • Jamie Raskin, U.S. Representative, Maryland
  • Dana Remus, former White House Counsel; Partner, Covington LLP
  • Brian Sandoval, former Governor of Nevada; Judge, United States District Court for the District of Nevada (ret.); President, University of Nevada, Reno
  • David Tatel, Judge, United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit (ret.)
  • Lisa Tucker, Professor of Law, Drexel University Thomas R. Kline School of Law*
  • Michael Waldman, President & CEO, Brennan Center for Justice
  • Bradley Whitford, actor and activist
  • Christine Todd Whitman, former Governor of New Jersey and EPA Administrator
  • And dozens of other people and respected leaders from across the country. 

*co-chairs

To add names, see the full list of signers, and access resources on how to spread these truths, visit www.weholdtruths.org