Political Quotes

“I regret that, due to unforeseeable flight delays, I was unable to make it back here to Washington in time for the cloture vote on Kurt Engelhardt's nomination for the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. Had I been present, I would have voted against cloture. His record on the district court is deeply troubling, particularly those concerning sexual harassment, religious discrimination, civil rights, and discriminating against women who choose to have children in the workforce--a right that should be open to every American woman without fear of losing one's job. In Mr. Engelhardt's court, ogling, groping, making suggestive comments, and talking about a woman's appearance do not constitute sexual harassment or a hostile work environment. In Mr. Engelhardt's court, a woman who is ordered by her doctor to be on bedrest can be fired 2 weeks after giving birth because ``the fact that Plaintiff's absences were caused by pregnancy does not dispense with the general requirement that employees must show up for work.'' Then there is Judge Engelhardt's extremely disturbing ruling overturning the convictions of five former New Orleans police officers in the Danziger Bridge case. This was a case that was described at the time as ``the most significant police misconduct prosecution since Rodney King,'' but Mr.…”