If ever you aren't sure why elections matter, just take a look at our court system. Earlier this week, three judges – all appointed by Democrats – stood up for voting rights in North Carolina. Only days earlier, the most conservative members of the Supreme Court issued a stay to slash early voting in Ohio.

The three-judge panel on the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals reviewed North Carolina's new voting laws, and put a stop to two of the provisions that would have disenfranchised many voters in the upcoming election. While the democratic appointees declared “the right to vote is fundamental,” the right-wing justices on the Supreme Court allowed Ohio's restrictive voting laws to stay in effect this November.

To make matters worse, our nation's highest court didn't even hear arguments in the Ohio case, or provide any justification for their ruling. The distinction is clear. Judges appointed by Democrats understand that voting is a fundamental right in our nation. Judges who were appointed by Republicans see no problem with limiting our ability to participate in the democratic process.

Elections matter for many reasons, but the effect they have on our judicial system may be the most important reason why we have to get out and vote this November.

-Thom

(What do you think? Tell us here.)

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Tonight on The Big Picture on RT TV at 7pm and 10pm... Is Anti-Semitism Good for Jews? Fred Levin, Levin Papantonio / And Give Up Showbiz? (check your local listings for stations or stream at RT or Free Speech TV, and catch past shows on Youtube)

Be sure to check out our new videos: CARBON & LAST HOURS - both narrated by Leonardo DiCaprio

Big Picture Rumble:
- Kris Ullman, Conservative Commentator & Activist
- Stewart Acuff, National Union of Hospital & Health Care Employees (NUHHCE) / Playing Bigger Than You Are
- Scott Greer, The Daily Caller

Conversations with Great Minds: Is Anti-Semitism Good for Jews? - Fred Levin, Levin Papantonio / And Give Up Showbiz?

Friday's Daily Stack

Hour One: If it's Friday, it's "Brunch With Bernie"... the honorable Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) joins Thom with all the news from our nation's capitol and as always he'll be spending the hour taking your calls and answering your questions too...
Follow Bernie: campaign site.

Article: "Inside the Koch Brothers' Toxic Empire" by Tim Dickinson.

Article: "Dark Money Already Making Its Mark In N.H. Senate Race" by Brian Wallstin.

Article: "What Do the Koch Brothers Want?" (1980 Libertarian Party platform) by Sen. Bernie Sanders.

Case: "Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission" (2010).

Article: "People's Climate March" by Sen. Bernie Sanders.

Site: 350.org

Law text: "Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act", 2010.

Article: "Historical Income Data" by U.S. Census Bureau.

Article: "Some 95% of 2009-2012 Income Gains Went to Wealthiest 1%" by Brenda Cronin.

Article: "Historical Amount of Revenue by Source" by Tax Policy Center.

Lawsuit: "Dodge v. Ford Motor Company", Mich. 1919.

Article: "Pennsylvania porn scandal: 2 members of governor's staff resign over explicit emails" by Peter Jackson and Marc Levy.

Article: "Walmart Wants to Offer Banking For America’s Poor, Which Is a Really Crappy Idea" by Lynn Stuart Parramore.

Article: "Cartoon: White House Security Breach: Coming Home" by Mark Fiore.

Article: "Arkansas GOP Outraged About Voter Suppression After Candidate Gets Kicked Off The Voter Rolls" by Aviva Shen.

Article: "Before Ebola failure, Dallas hospital saw long emergency waits" by Dianna Hunt, Reese Dunklin and Miles Moffeit.

Site: MoveOn.org

Article: "Why Ben Bernanke Can’t Refinance His Mortgage" by Neil Irwin.

Article: "German Unity Day" (Tag der Deutschen Einheit) by Wikipedia.

Article: "This Country Just Abolished College Tuition Fees" (Germany) by Joaquim Moreira Salles.

Article: "F*** You, You F***ing F***" by WilliamPitt.

Site: Rhana B in Granny D's Footsteps.

Site: Move to Amend - Interfaith Caucus

Site: Green World Rising

Movie: "Music Within".

Law: "Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990".

Site: Governor Free Don Siegelman.

Talk Radio News Segment:
- Victoria Jones

Site: "Goats for the old Goat".

Article: "Update: CDC Interviewing 50 People For Contact With Ebola Patient" by Celina Gore and Leah Schwarting.

Article: "Reports Of Possible Ebola Cases In D.C. And Georgia" by Leah Schwarting.

Article: "White House: no Ebola travel ban contemplated" by Todd J. Gillman.

Article: "A Glimmer Of Hope: Nigeria May Have Beaten Ebola" by Linda Poon.

Article: "Key Dem wants increased funding to fight Ebola in Omnibus" (Sen. Tom Harkin) by Rebecca Shabad.

Article: "Unemployment Rate At 5.9%, A Six-Year Low" by TRNS.

Article: "JPMorgan Chase says data breach affects 76 million households" by Alex Veiga.

Article: "TRNS News Notes- 10/3" by Victoria Jones.

Article: "TRNS News Notes- 10/2" by Victoria Jones.

Hour Three: Why California's record drought is just the beginning
- Dr. Joseph Romm, Climate Progress / Center for American Progress

Article: "National Science Foundation: Record California Drought Directly Linked To Climate Change" by Joe Romm.

Article: "Cause of California drought linked to climate change" by National Science Foundation.

Article: "Climate Change Drying Out Southwest Now, With Worse To Come For A Third Of The Planet" by Joe Romm.

Article: "Explaining Extreme Events Of 2013 From A Climate Perspective" by American Meteorological Society.

Article: "Bombshell: Study Ties Epic California Drought, ‘Frigid East’ To Manmade Climate Change" by Joe Romm.

Article: "Morning Joe Mocks Harry Reid for Koch Brother Hypocrisy" by Eddie Scarry.

Short Story: "The Snows of Kilimanjaro" by Ernest Hemingway.

Site: Media Matters for America

Case: "Plessy v. Ferguson", 1896 (separate but equal).

Article: "Civilian nuclear ships" by Wikipedia.

Article: "Price Anderson Nuclear Industries Indemnity Act".

Article: "God helps those who help themselves" by Wikipedia.

Article: "Algernon Sidney" by Wikipedia.

Monday on The Thom Hartmann Program, 12-3pm ET

NRA says violent people have gun rights too...?! - Thom debates Neil McCabe, editor of Guns & Patriots Newsletter.

And, the best of the rest of the news along with your calls right here on...

The Thom Hartmann Program, Occupying The Media 3 hours a day 5 days a week" for "we the people"

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Watch Thom on: - MSNBC's The Cycle
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How Privatizing Medical Records Will Harm You

How Privatizing Medical Records Will Harm You

Could 700 million Be Under Water Sooner Than You Think?

Ferguson Cops Are Still Keeping Secrets

Why Texas Is the Worst Place for Ebola to Strike First

Politically Corrected - Steve Doocy Caught Not Telling the Truth

The Good - The Bad - And the Very Very Harpocraticly Ugly

Why Doesn't Congress Reign In a Partisan SCOTUS?

Full Show 10/2/14: US Health Care: Privatization & Pandemics

Mike Papantonio, attorney and host of the Ring of Fire radio show, joins Thom to talk about how the Supreme Court furthers Republican obstructionism. The Rev. Osagyefo Sekou gives Thom an update from Ferguson, MO. Health care industry whistleblower, Wendell Potter explains how U.S.-style healthcare providers can’t compete with a single-payer system when battling pandemics like Ebola. Thom answers your questions on everything from PBS to AIG and in his Daily Take, he explains why medical records shouldn’t be privatized

Walmart Wants to get into Banking!

Republican Candidate Screwed by GOP Voter Law!

Brunch with Bernie - October 3, 2014

Remember Obama's Filibuster-Proof Senate?

Caller: There's no Such Thing as FREE Health Care!

Hong Kong...Protesters Defy Police Warning

How Germany's Free Healthcare and College works...

When Profits Become Deadly...

Thom's newest book!