Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton Discusses the Fair Pay Restoration Act

This week the Senate will vote on the Fair Pay Restoration Act, a piece of legislation that would help undo some of the fallout from last year’s Supreme Court decision in Ledbetter v. Goodyear Tire. The bill, which has already passed the House, would restore prior interpretations of the Civil Rights Act that classifies each discriminatory paycheck is a separate illegal act – not just the first one.

Alliance for Justice and FireDogLake hosted a special chat this morning with Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), one of the bill’s original House sponsors. The congresswoman, who chaired the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) during the Carter administration, was responsible for implementing the Title VII and has a unique perspective on the original intention of the law. Sadly, another former chair of the EEOC, Justice Clarence Thomas helped to cripple the protections that law provided by narrowly interpreting the statute of limitations it included.

Thankfully, this is one Court decision that can be fixed by Congress. Alliance for Justice has been at the forefront of the fight to pass the Fair Pay Restoration Act (which President Bush has threatened to veto) and we encourage all of our readers to contact your senators about this important piece of legislation.

To see today’s FireDogLake chat, click here.