[NOW Actions] You Live in a Key State!

Support NOW's Work |	January 22, 2009	| Tell a Friend

Action Needed Background All NOW Actions Take Action NOW!		You Live in PA, IA, OH, SC, AL, AZ, or ME, and We Need Your Help! Urge Senators to Confirm Eric Holder as Attorney General Action Needed: A Senate Judiciary Committee vote on Attorney General nominee Eric Holder is set for Wednesday, Jan. 28, with a floor vote likely to follow soon after. Messages of support from NOW activists in key states are needed. If you live in Pennsylvania, Iowa, Ohio, South Carolina, Arizona, Alabama or Maine, please send a message to your Senators that Mr. Holder's confirmation should be approved. Holder, a former U.S. Attorney and Assistant Attorney General under President Clinton, has demonstrated a commitment to women's rights and civil rights. Please contact your Senators. Background: Because of the past eight years of politicized leadership in the Department of Justice, the appointment of the next Attorney General is vital to those concerned with women's issues. The Department of Justice has failed to allocate sufficient funding to effectively carry out provisions of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) and has been lax in pursuing cases of sex discrimination in employment under Title VII. In his service as U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia and as Deputy Attorney General of the United States under President Clinton, Eric Holder illustrated a commitment to principles of equity and diversity. He has: testified for legislation that created new categories of hate crimes to include those based on gender and sexual orientation, and changes to federal hate crime laws to strengthen the capabilities of federal-state law enforcement; advocated strongly for reproductive rights in his support of the Freedom of Access to Entrances Act (FACE); within the Justice system, fiercely opposed violence against women through his judgements in cases pertaining to VAWA; and shown a commitment to racial and gender diversity within the legal profession. Note: Those Senators who especially need to hear from constituents include Arlen Specter (R-Penn.), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), George Voinovich (R-Ohio), Lindsay Graham (R-S.C.), Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.), John Kyl (R-Ariz.), Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe (both R-Maine).
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