Jerry Nadler: “this is a good bill. Particularly, I am a strong supporter of the section renewing the Violence Against Women Act, and a…”

“this is a good bill. Particularly, I am a strong supporter of the section renewing the Violence Against Women Act, and a new program I've worked on, the Jessica Gonzales Victim Assistance Program, to better enforce protective orders. Today, together, we are making a big leap forward in protecting women who are victims. For many years domestic violence has been viewed as a woman's problem, but that is not the case. Domestic violence is a woman's problem, a man's problem, the community's problem. The time is long overdue for men to take a stand and say that domestic violence is unacceptable. On June 27, in Castle Rock v. Gonzales, the Supreme Court held that the police did not have a mandatory duty to make an arrest under a court-issued protective order to protect a woman from a violent husband. The ruling ended a lawsuit by a Colorado woman who claimed the police did not do enough to prevent her violent husband from killing their 3 young daughters. The ruling said Jessica Gonzales did not have a constitutional right to police enforcement of the protective court order against her husband. The heartbreaking details of this case show the desperate need for legislation. That's why I have drafted the Jessica Gonzales Victim Assistance Program, which will restore some of the effectiveness of protective orders.…”