JUNE 12, 1995
"Today's decision shows what a difference five years and four justices can make in the treatment of women and people of color under the U.S. Constitution," said NOW President Patricia Ireland. "President Clinton and Congress must not be guided by the reactionary activism of a Reagan-Bush Supreme Court, which has undone years of precedents supporting affirmative action.
"Don't lead the retreat, don't take the bait this decision offers and back down," Ireland urged. "Affirmative action is a defining issue in our country right now, and it will be a defining issue in next year's campaigns. We expect the Clinton administration to make the case that the government does have a `compelling interest,' as these justices now require, to remedy discrimination."
NOW leaders are concerned that the high court's ruling may have immediate reverberations in Congress.
"We will press progressives and moderates in Congress to stand firm against the conservatives, who are going to have a field day with this decision," Ireland said. "They will use it as an excuse to attach absurd, simplistic proposals to every piece of legislation that moves through Congress in coming weeks; Canady in the House, Helms and Gramm in the Senate. It will be like block grants all over again -- a bad idea that keeps showing up everywhere."