Eleanor Holmes Norton: “I thank my friend for her comments. Mr. Speaker, I was the chair, before I came to Congress, in another life, of the…”

“I thank my friend for her comments. Mr. Speaker, I was the chair, before I came to Congress, in another life, of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, dealing with job discrimination in our country. I was interested, in my own research on Judge Gorsuch to find that he has written more opinions in discrimination cases than other cases. Now, the Rocky Mountain States of the Tenth Circuit do not have large numbers of African Americans, but the way in which the Supreme Court has interpreted antidiscrimination laws doesn't, in fact, basically differ from one group. The EEOC also has jurisdiction over disability discrimination. For example, the Court has always indicated that anti-discrimination laws should be read broadly in order to capture discrimination. Whether we are talking about the antidiscrimination laws as they affect women or racial or ethnic minorities or religious minorities, the Supreme Court simply will not read these laws narrowly. But that is not how Judge Gorsuch has operated on the Tenth Circuit. He has given a cramped interpretation of the antidiscrimination laws, and yet it is interesting to note that, when there is a claim of discrimination based on religion, he gives a very broad interpretation. He is perhaps best known for his opinion in the so-called Hobby Lobby case.…”