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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Senate Confirms Neomi Rao for the DC Circuit Despite Right Wing Views

March 13, 2019, Washington, DC – The National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW) is deeply disappointed that the US Senate has confirmed Neomi Rao to occupy a seat on the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, regarded as the second-most powerful court in the country. NCJW CEO Nancy K. Kaufman released the following statement:

“Neomi Rao has a ‘before’ and ‘after’ set of views on sexual harassment and multiculturalism. Before her nomination, going back to her years in college, she argued that ‘myths of sexual and racial oppression… create hysteria and finally lead to the formation of some whining new group.’ After her nomination, she dismissed those views as ‘youthful idealism.’

“Prior to her nomination, as a Trump regulatory official, she approved weakened protections for survivors of sexual assault on college campuses, even barring schools from responding to many sexual harassment and assault complaints. While prescribing how to calculate the costs and benefits of proposed rules, she left out the costs of sexual assault and harassment to survivors and counted only the costs of the investigations required of educational institutions and the money saved by schools if they did fewer such inquiries. After her nomination, she wrote a cleanup letter to the Judiciary Committee endorsing ‘an environment where survivors feel empowered and comfortable coming forward,’ despite her very recent record otherwise,

“Rao has been unwilling to express her support for Brown v Board of  Education, the landmark 1954 Supreme Court ruling that ended ‘separate but equal.’ This is an alarmingly frequent and completely unacceptable quality among Trump’s judicial nominees. She has also recorded her disparaging views toward Planned Parenthood v. Casey, which reaffirmed the right of women to choose abortion. Now she says only that she will respect Casey and Roe v Wade as established precedent, the stance taken by many Trump nominees who later overturn landmark rulings that have stood for decades.

“Rao’s confirmation sends a chilling message to those struggling against racial and gender harassment and discrimination – a message that the courts need not be neutral and fair. Rao’s views and her very limited experience ought to have ruled her out for a lifetime appointment to the top federal appeals court.”

The National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW) is a grassroots organization of volunteers and advocates who turn progressive ideals into action. Inspired by Jewish values, NCJW strives for social justice by improving the quality of life for women, children, and families and by safeguarding individual rights and freedoms. More information on Facebook and on Twitter at @NCJW.

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