Womenstake

NWLC Applauds Confirmation of Thomas Perez

by Amy Matsui, Senior Counsel, 
National Women's Law Center 

The National Women’s Law Center applauds the Senate for confirming Thomas Perez as the Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division at the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) today by a bipartisan vote of 72-22. The National Women’s Law Center (NWLC) strongly supported Mr. Perez’s nomination.

“The National Women’s Law Center commends the Senate for confirming Tom Perez as Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division and is proud to have supported his nomination,” said NWLC Co-President Marcia Greenberger. “Mr. Perez, who brings twenty years of experience enforcing and supporting our nation’s civil rights laws, is eminently qualified for this position.”  

Mr. Perez has spent his entire career in public service. He worked as a career prosecutor in the Civil Rights Division, where he was quickly promoted to Deputy Chief of the Criminal Section.  He was appointed to be Deputy Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights in 1998, and he served as the Director of the Office for Civil Rights at the U.S.  Department of Health and Human Services from February 1999 until the end of the Clinton Administration. At various points in his career, Mr. Perez worked for the late Senator Edward Kennedy, advising the Senator on civil rights, criminal justice and constitutional issues, and taught law and public health. Mr. Perez currently serves as Secretary of the Maryland Department of Labor, Licensing, and Regulation.

The Civil Rights Division enforces legal protections of critical importance to women, including Title VII, which prohibits sex discrimination in employment; Title IX, which protects women against sex-based discrimination in educational programs; and the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act, which allows women to safely exercise their constitutional right to reproductive health. In addition, the Civil Rights Division is responsible for prosecuting hate crimes and human trafficking crimes.  

Mr. Perez’s nomination comes at a critical time. Much work needs to be done to address pay discrimination, educational opportunities, violence against health care providers, and a host of other urgent matters.

“It is time for a Civil Rights Division that is fully committed to enforcing the civil rights protections upon which the citizens of this nation rely,” Greenberger said.  “Mr. Perez is the right person to restore the department’s historic role as guardian of civil rights and to make the enforcement of women’s rights and legal protections a priority once again.”

We Share Justice O'Connor's Disappointment...

by Amy Matsui, Senior Counsel, 
National Women's Law Center 

Former Justice Sandra Day O’Connor is “disappointed” that some of her rulings have been dismantled by the Roberts Court. I think we’re thinking what she’s thinking.

Justice O’Connor was asked during a panel discussion over the weekend how she felt “about the fact that the current Court had undone some of her rulings.” It’s not clear which decisions she or the questioner had in mind, but we can think of at least one that she wrote -– the 2003 opinion in Grutter v. Bollinger, which upheld the right of public universities to use affirmative action in their admissions policies to promote diversity -– and one in which she was a key vote -– the 2000 decision in Stenberg v. Carhart, which struck down a government restriction on a woman’s access to abortion in part because it lacked an exception to protect the woman’s health -- that have been seriously undermined by subsequent Roberts Court decisions. In any event, Justice O’Connor did not question the proposition that at least some of her rulings had been “dismantled” and said that it would be understandable for her to feel “disappointed.” 

In addition, Justice O’Connor was a strong proponent of “the value of diversity of the bench” during this panel. She noted that having two women on the Supreme Court (Justice Ginsburg and now Justice Sonia Sotomayor) “isn’t enough.” 

Senator Kennedy's Legacy on the Judiciary Committee – Bork and Beyond

by Amy Matsui, Senior Counsel, 
National Women’s Law Center 

Senator Kennedy is rightly being remembered and celebrated for being a champion of legislation establishing and reinforcing civil rights protections for women during over four decades in the Senate.  But it should not be forgotten that he also worked to ensure that the protections set forth in legislation would not be given short shrift in the courtroom.

Senator Kennedy served on the Senate Judiciary Committee from 1963 to 2008, including two years as its Chairman.  During his tenure, Senator Kennedy did his best to make sure that individuals nominated to lifetime positions on the federal bench respected women’s legal rights. He led the opposition to Robert Bork’s nomination to the Supreme Court in 1987. In so doing, he decried then-Judge Bork’s view that the Constitution contained no right to privacy at all, including a right for women to make a personal and private decision to have an abortion.  In addition, Senator Kennedy criticized Bork’s view that the Constitution’s Equal Protection Clause did not protect women from sex discrimination by the government.

Senator Kennedy also protected the civil rights and women’s rights that were part of his core legislative priorities by consistently asking judicial nominees about their views on laws intended to protect against discrimination at work and at school, including key civil rights protections like Title VII and Title IX.

I’m grateful that Senator Kennedy was there to ask judicial nominees questions about women’s civil rights and legal protections, and that he cared so much about the answers.

Justice Sotomayor Sworn in on Saturday

by Amy Matsui, Senior Counsel,
National Women's Law Center 

On Saturday, Justice Sonia Sotomayor was sworn in as the 111th Supreme Court Justice by Chief Justice John Roberts, at the Supreme Court.  She thus officially becomes the third woman, first Latina, and first woman of color to sit on the nation’s highest court.  She will hear her first argument as a Supreme Court Justice on September 9, in the case of Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission.

Senate Set to Vote on Judge Sotomayor Today

by Amy Matsui, Senior Counsel,  
National Women's Law Center 

This post is part of a series about the nomination of Judge Sotomayor for the Supreme Court.

Over the past two days, Senators have been debating the nomination of Judge Sotomayor. The Senate is scheduled to vote on the nomination later today, taking this historic vote right before Senators leave for the August recess.

As we mentioned yesterday, Republican Senator Kit Bond of Missouri announced that he would be voting in favor of Judge Sotomayor.  In addition, it was reported that Senator Judd Gregg of New Hampshire will also support Judge Sotomayor, bringing the number of Republicans supporting the nomination at this point to a total of eight.

Senator Bond To Vote For Judge Sotomayor

by Amy Matsui, Senior Counsel, 
National Women's Law Center 

This post is part of a series about the nomination of Judge Sotomayor for the Supreme Court.

The Senate is currently debating the nomination of Judge Sotomayor to the Supreme Court. Senator Kit Bond of Missouri just announced on the floor of the Senate that he will support Judge Sotomayor, citing her experience, qualifications, and inspiring life story. This brings the total of Republican Senators supporting the nomination up to seven (Sens. Lugar, Martinez, Snowe, Collins, Graham and Alexander).

Another Republican Senator Announces Support for Judge Sotomayor

by Amy Matsui, Senior Counsel, 
National Women's Law Center 

This post is part of a series about the nomination of Judge Sotomayor for the Supreme Court.

Yesterday, Senator Lamar Alexander of Tennessee announced that he would vote in favor of Judge Sonia Sotomayor’s nomination to the Supreme Court. He stated that he would support Judge Sotomayor “because she is well-qualified by experience, temperament, character and intellect to serve as an associate justice of the United States Supreme Court.” Senator Alexander is the Senate Republican Conference Chairman, which makes him the number 3 Republican in Senate leadership. The endorsement of a member of the Republican leadership in the Senate, in addition to that of Judiciary Committee member Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, and Senators Lugar of Indiana, Martinez of Florida, and Snowe and Collins of Maine, adds up to important bipartisan support of Judge Sotomayor’s nomination. 

Update: Senator Graham to Support Sotomayor

by Amy Matsui, Senior Counsel, 
National Women’s Law Center 

This post is part of a series about the nomination of Judge Sotomayor for the Supreme Court.

Senator Graham, a Republican member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, just announced on the Senate floor that he will be supporting Judge Sotomayor's nomination to the Supreme Court, one day after Senator Sessions delayed a vote by the Committee.

Senator Graham had questioned Judge Sotomayor intensely during her three days before the Committee. This most recent announcement brings the number of Republican Senators publicly supporting the nomination up to five (Senators Lugar, Snowe and Martinez announcing last week, and Senator Collins announcing yesterday). Senator Graham's support is a sign that the momentum behind Judge Sotomayor is growing.

Sessions Delays Committee Vote on Sotomayor. Because He Can.

by Amy Matsui, Senior Counsel, 
National Women’s Law Center 

The hearings are over, Judge Sotomayor’s answers to written questions have been turned in, and all that’s left for the Senate Judiciary Committee is a vote. But we will have to wait until next Tuesday for that to happen. The Committee was scheduled to vote on the nomination of Judge Sotomayor yesterday, but Senator Sessions, taking advantage of Committee rules, required that the vote be delayed for a week.

At least one Republican member of the Committee, however, made clear today that he didn’t need an entire week to make up his mind. This morning, Senator Kyl of Arizona announced he will be voting against Judge Sotomayor. And it was also reported this morning that Senator Graham will announce his position on Wednesday. It remains to be seen whether Senators Sessions, Grassley, Hatch, Cornyn and Coburn will wait until next Tuesday to reveal how they will be voting.

Democrats and Republicans on the Committee Agree – Judge Sotomayor Is a Highly Qualified, Mainstream Judge Who Follows the Rule of Law

by Amy Matsui, Senior Counsel, 
National Women's Law Center 

This post is part of a series about the nomination of Judge Sotomayor for the Supreme Court.

At this point in Judge Sotomayor’s confirmation hearing, when many of the questions being asked have been asked before, statements by the questioning Senators are almost as notable as Judge Sotomayor’s responses. For example, Senator Graham said that he did not think that Judge Sotomayor was an activist judge. And Senator Cornyn said that her record as a judge fell within the mainstream of the Second Circuit. And Senator Coburn said of her, “I’m mightily impressed.” And Senator Sessions has stated there won’t be a filibuster as far as he is concerned.

We’ll be watching to see what else gets said – by the Senators – as the second round of questioning concludes and the third – and probably final – round begins.