Sens. Mazie K. Hirono and other women in the U.S. Senate took to the Senate floor on Tuesday, April 4, to talk about the real-world consequences that Judge Neil Gorsuch, if confirmed, and Supreme Court rulings have on working families.
Senators laying out the repercussions they expected from Gorsuch’s appointment also included Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) and Kamala Harris (D-Calif.)
US Sen. Mazie Hirono. Courtesy photo.
From Sen. Hirono’s remarks:
“As we mark Equal Pay Day, I am well aware of the tremendous impact a single justice can have on the lives and rights of millions of Americans. Under Chief Justice John Roberts, the Supreme Court has issued numerous 5-4 decisions which have favored corporate interests over the rights of individuals. Cases like Shelby County. Like Citizens United. Like Hobby Lobby.
ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW AD
ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW AD
“One of the most deeply flawed of these 5-4 decisions was in a 2007 case called Ledbetter v. Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. That decision had the effect of denying justice to a woman who had suffered pay discrimination for more than a decade. The court said, in effect, that because Lilly Ledbetter didn’t learn of the pay discrimination until it was too late, our justice system could not help her.
“Clearly, the composition of the court and identity of the 5th Justice matters a great deal in the real world. The real world of 5-4 decisions. Yet during his hearing, Judge Gorsuch refused to even acknowledge the role that judicial philosophy plays in the role of a justice. And he downplayed the impact the law could have on people’s lives, repeatedly saying he merely applied the law.”
This comments section is a public community forum for the purpose of free expression. Although Big Island Now encourages respectful communication only, some content may be considered offensive. Please view at your own discretion. View Comments
