WASHINGTON, D.C. Ð The Feminist Majority commends Senate Democrats for holding strong and filibustering the Administration’s anti-women nominees to the Federal Courts of Appeals.
“We stand proudly with these champions of women’s rightsÑthe Senators who have worked literally night and day to block the stacking of the Federal Courts of Appeals with reactionary nominees,” said Eleanor Smeal, president of the Feminist Majority.
Joining with a broad coalition of women’s rights, civil rights, labor rights and environmental groups, Smeal urged the Senate to continue to hold the line against the ongoing campaign by the right wing to take over the Federal Courts of Appeals.
The Federal Courts of Appeals are the final arbiters in the vast majority of litigation. “It is an outrage,” said Smeal, “that the courts are being filled with anti-civil rights and anti-women’s rights candidates.”
“It is painful to support the filibuster of a woman’s appointment,” Smeal continued. “But, we have learned that a woman in a position of power who opposes women’s rights is often used to justify discrimination. The records of these nominees, including the women, in the areas of abortion rights and women’s rights are so extreme that their confirmations would ensure that the courts of last resort in so many states would become dead ends for women.”
Smeal called attempts by Republican Senators to label themselves “pro-woman” a “disinformation campaign.” “We are not fooled,” she said. ” ‘Pro-woman’ means supporting the issues that are essential to women’s equalityÑabortion rights, the right to privacy, and equality in the workplace and in schools. The Senators who filibuster these nominees are showing us what it means to be women’s rights supporters.”
The Feminist Majority is a member of the Coalition for a Fair and Independent JudiciaryÑa group of civil rights, women’s rights, disability, Latino, lesbian and gay rights and labor groups that is fighting President Bush’s campaign to stack the courts with right-wing judges.
The Feminist Majority is a national, cutting edge, public policy organization dedicated to advancing women’s equality. For more information on the Feminist Majority, visit www.feminist.org.
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