JWI Opposes Supreme Court Nomination of Judge Neil Gorsuch

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Meredith Jacobs, VP Communications
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Washington, D.C. – Following President Trump’s nomination of Judge Neil Gorsuch for the Supreme Court, JWI CEO Lori Weinstein issued the following statement:

At JWI, we are concerned first and foremost with the welfare of women and families. The nation’s highest court is entrusted with the protection of our constitutional rights - the very foundation of American freedom. We have made tremendous progress and we will not go back. As a Supreme Court justice, Judge Gorsuch would be a threat to the rights and safety of women and girls and an impediment to the equality of all people. 

With Judge Gorsuch, reproductive rights will be at stake. In the Hobby Lobby case, he aligned himself against women and families who rely on insurance coverage of contraception. In a separate case where a religiously-affiliated employer sought to interfere with women’s healthcare coverage, Judge Gorsuch wrote in dissent to the circuit court that ruled in favor of workers. 

Prior to his election, President Trump vowed to only nominate judges who would commit to overturning Roe v. Wade, a precedential case that protects a constitutional right women have relied on for decades.  

Judge Gorsuch’s record also shows that he favors corporate power and business interests over the rights of workers, voters, and consumers. Dismantling government regulation means that women lack recourse when facing unsafe conditions or discrimination in the workplace. Judge Gorsuch has shown that he cannot be trusted on women’s health, safety, and rights.

Women must not have their constitutional rights further imperiled by the appointment of Judge Gorsuch to our nation’s highest court.

In the end, we must remind ourselves that this nomination belonged to President Obama and not to President Trump. 

This appointment will affect not only our lives, but those of future generations. Our daughters and granddaughters deserve better.

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Jewish Women International (JWI) is the leading Jewish organization working to end violence against women and girls domestically and internationally. JWI is a Steering Committee member of the National Task Force to End Sexual and Domestic Violence Against Women and convenes the Interfaith Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence and the Clergy Task Force to End Domestic Abuse in the Jewish Community, and is a member of the Gun Violence Table. JWI’s advocacy efforts focus on the passage of legislation that supports women and girls, ensures their economic security, and protects their right to live free of violence.