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Thank you Let's get started for those of you who are here. Thank you. There's, a lot going on this morning, especially after the elections in Alabama yesterday. Uh this portion is being stream live. Thank you very much on facebook. So this morning. First conferences about judges and the judges that donald trump points to lifetime positions, to the federal bench will be the last thing legacy of his presidency. He came into office determined to pack the courts with deeply India logical nominees who bring their own personal politics to the cases they here and we saw it earlier this year with Nomination and confirmation of now Justice neal course which, but the President has approach nominating and confirming judges to our country Circuit court in a similarly, in my view, cynical and troubling way. The president's nominees often have impression, impressive credentials on paper but have spent their careers in a 20. Their personal political beliefs with their professional responsibilities when confronted about their records of the judiciary Committee on which I sit, these nominees either deny their believes or offer a formula cc Thomas, that they will code nickel follow President or follow the law and with this promise, these nominees expect that we will ignore everything. They've done in the past. What they written of often they will write long lori articles expanding their positions. They expect us to believe that they will abandon their deeply held beliefs at the precise moment when they are in a position to invest them by sitting on a court the President nominates them Precisely because they have these in a logical perspective and agendas, he expects their decisions to reflect these is the logical gender as for example, this week the Senate consider done will it President trump nominee to the fifth Circuit throughout his career Justice will it has express outrageous and outdated views on women in the workplace he's been crystal clear during his election campaigns for the Texas Supreme court that he will be a reliable vote on the cork for those You agree with them and when he worked with the Texas governor George W, Bush, that time Justice will it wrote a memo to the governor recommending against issuing a simple proclamation. Honoring the Texas federation of business and professional women and in his memory he dismissed workplace harrassment pay equity and better working conditions for women as just high pe as a Justice on the Texas Supreme court has been very upfront about the bias he brings to his decisions. Why else would he have declared In one of his campaigns and I quote, I am the consensus conservative choice from every corner of the conservative movement pro life pro faith pro family pro liberty, pro second amendment pro private property rights and pro limited government is clear. He has an Indian logical gender. That will be reflected in his decisions Steve lots another nominee voted on this week also mixes his personal Medical believes with this practice of law nominated by the President to serve on the a Circuit, Mr has lead efforts to Strip women of their reproductive rights. He's also fought to deny lgbt q people the right to be treated like every other American including in decisions limiting where they can work and with whom they can do business the American bar Association standing Committee took the extraordinary and rare step to deem him not called Bike because, after their interviews with Mr rocks, they concluded that he will not be able to do his job as a judge without the undue influence of his beliefs. Turning to a girl, gregory contests President, trump's nominee to the Circuit. One of the most important Circuit court in the country as deputy White House counsel for President trump. He provided the President with legal advice on some of the administration's worst decisions, including arguing that title Evan of the civil rights act of 19 64 does not protect lgbt q people from employment, discrimination and that business owners should be able to refuse them service. Two weeks ago, the judiciary Committee considered another of these extreme nominees Stewart, kyle duncan for the fifth Circuit. This nominee is well known in legal circles for being a procedure against marriage equality and women's health care as lead counsel in the hobby lobby case. Mr duncan are you that companies should be able to refuse to pay for health care coverage that violates the religious Use of the company's owners totally disregarding the healthcare needs of there are thousands of female employees. He also played a key role in defending North carolina's notorious transgender bathroom band. He was the lead counsel for the school board trying to prevent a courageous young, transgender man, gavin grimm from simply using the boys bathroom at school. We need judges who will rule Fairly, regardless of their personal any logical views and while President trump's nominees profess they will aside their professional or the personal views. There is little evidence from their past positions writings and decisions that they will do so now. I'd like to recognize my colleague from oregon senator Jeff berkley oh. Thank you very much, senator and I'm absolutely pleased to to join her and drawing attention to this the challenge that we Have before us often, when folks are being considered to be judges, they say I consider myself to be an empire is my job to call the balls and strikes which certainly suggested their not weighing in favor of either team but treating teams fairly we're, not going to change the rules of the game so we're going to enforce the rules the game but what we have with the nominees coming from the trump administration are not folks who plan To be simply an empire calling the balls and strikes indeed they're basically saying we are member of the hometown team and we will change the rules at any point to ensure that that team wins that philosophy completely under minds. The legitimacy of the judiciary and we can see that certainly, an appointment after appointment as senator has pointed out, I just wanna draw attention To the vote were taken today regarding judge Don will it President trump nominee for the fifth Circuit court of appeals. This extreme individual who has clearly declared which team he is on he has no interest in being an empire at the plate calling balls and strikes. He has an extreme frightening record, especially when it comes to women's rights and non discrimination, is an individual who is in a Then governor George Bush wrote a member opposing simply a proclamation declaring business women's week because quote I resist the proclamations, talk of glass ceilings. Hey equity, an obligation that some studies debunk the need to place kids in the care of rented strangers, sexual discrimination, harassment the need generally for better working conditions for women, meaning more government that's the end of his quote. I think that's a quote that we have probably up here and clearly Uh just expressing ignore mus hostility the ideas, how dare women ask for better working conditions. How dare they talk about the challenge of providing care for their children so they can work. How dare they talk about pay equity. How dare they talk about glass ceilings. Can any woman coming before this individual expect a fair hearing and the answer is absolutely not and that's. Why this judge does not It belong in the court room and Justice frightening as his views on marriage equality or his views are his views. It on marriage equality working with his colleagues on the Texas Supreme court to limit the interpretation of the Supreme court's finding in over fill and it's, if and its applications to benefits for same sex couples and use social media to attack gt and transgender Americans, offensive tweets that he believes according to his Committee testimony we're, simply funny. We need smart And thoughtful, reasonable court justices who view themselves as empires, not as members of one of the teams changing the rules in mid course to make sure that team wins. We have here a judge who is extreme fundamentally bias. Individual who would be put in position under mind the progress we have made towards equality and under mind the determination and vision of the courts so we're here today to call on a Actions that we have in the workplace and for many women courts can make the difference between Justice and a deep interesting sense. That the discrimination that they face has no recourse and the discrimination that they face has no end and sometimes we learn the names of the individuals who are bringing this case is like lead better who suffered decades of pay discrimination and ultimately got no recourse and was told her claims her pay discrimination claims could not be heard But for most of the time, um we don't know the names of the many, many women for whom courts deeply matter and in this moment we are in right now where there is a to movement where women are finally having the space to come forward and speak and real and serious terms about the harassment that they have faced about limited opportunities at work and at school and throughout their lives the courts Yes, we'll be the ones to ultimately here those claims and so today, Senate is face with a vote on whether to put up Justice. Don willett in a lifetime position on the federal bench and his record tells us. Loud and clear that he is the wrong choice for women as both senators have really describe quite powerfully uh. This memo that he rode with so extremely dismissive out around our basic rights, basic rights and pay equity basic rights on harassment in the Workplace calling the need for better working conditions for women, hike these are his words in nice, so we are asking um that women who bravely come forward to bring claims to pay discrimination and bring claims of harassment. Um. That they be able to get a fair shot in the courts and why should they have to shoulder the extra burden of not being sure if, before a judge that has a lifetime appointment, whether this judge will give them a fair shot so as people are probably saying me too Do they now risk being told that their claims of discrimination or merely height the rest of judge Justice will it's record abusers deep concerns for us, including around take you rights, the role of the courts, his own assessment of his judicial record as the most conservative. If anybody in Texas and on top of that, he is really um an example of a long list of nominees where we have seen a pattern of people who are boldly and Proudly, a meaning to restrict women's rights role black the clock on reproductive rights and lgbt queue rights on civil rights and voting rights and so much more so now is not the time for a rubber Sam process. When nominee show us their records, we should believe them and judge stuff as well. It's record shows that this is a judge that will be back for women the Senate has chance today to stand up for Justice by voting now. Thank you Thank you both are there any questions just like to say that that, as of it, my head said, there's been a and whole lineup of these kinds of nominees would definitely have a and idiom logical agenda which will be reflected in their decisions. They are not just empires calling balls and strikes, but they will effect the law in ways that will be very, very hurtful, harmful to individual rights, to voting rights to the lgbt queue. It's so today Hey we're going to take a vote on Justice will it and my hope is that, as happened in Alabama yesterday, the right result will occur. Thank you very much. yes I think it was a really good I'll, come and thumbs up to the people of Alabama, but at the same time, none of us takes anything for granted we're gonna need to work very very hard but I think that the you know as so uh the winner said um this was a vote for a common decency and I hope that this reflects the kind of course correction that is occurring in our country and I'm glad that you mention that me too um movement where Finally, we have a chance at a cultural change where woman will not be viewed as objects and toys. Huge. Thank you. Um. Well, this is just about more alright where they like to be they like to put that on and public, but I don't think that deep in their hearts that's what they believe because uh this was a repudiation of of what banner stands for and indeed the President, if you wanna add anything to a huge thing Cute to the people of Alabama, for not sending a child molester to the Senate but instead choosing to send an experienced prosecutor in champion for civil rights. We really contribute to the conversation about Justice and opportunity here in the United States of America. I think this race and the outcome is a repudiation of the President who campaigned intensely in the final days for you is nominee more I think it also shows momentum, momentum that we Awe in November and Virginia and we have seen in local races across the country, continuing on through Alabama and it does create um momentum that will carry on forward to November of two thousand and eighteen. Thank you very much thanks Jeff











