Alito Bad for Working Women

I touched on some of the reasons I'm uncomfortable with Samuel Alito's possible confirmation to the Supreme Court here, particularly in regards to Alito's tendency to support corporations over individual citizens and employees cases involving civil liberties, civil rights, and workplace rights. The more I read about his past record the more uncomfortable I feel, especially after reading Alito: A Defeat for Working Women on the Progressive Democrats of America website. Here are some of the highlights:

Alito's confirmation, if it happens, could also have profound implications for working women, only from the opposite point of view. Like the other seven men on the Court, he's never experienced sex discrimination first hand, so he doesn't see it as a problem. His record is clear - big business rules. During his 15 years on the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals, he compiled a stunning record of backing corporations over workers in sex and race discrimination cases. He has bragged that he is "particularly proud" of his work in opposing affirmative action, and never expressed regret for joining a militantly anti-woman club dedicated to keeping women out of Princeton.

This mindset does not bode well for female employment rights. One case that could come before the Court in the near future just happens to be the largest sex discrimination suit in history, Dukes v. Wal-Mart. Current and former female employees of the nation's largest employer are seeking class-action status to pursue pay and promotion discrimination claims. They've won in lower courts, and Wal-Mart is of course appealing. If the case reaches the Supremes a vote against the women could effectively torpedo female workplace rights for a generation.

Corporate America is already gender unbalanced, and although women now experience less discrimination in the workplace, their salaries are still much lower than those of men in comparable jobs and the glass ceiling still separates men and women at the corporate level. I don't think Alito is a good fit for America for the reasons I mentioned before - but he's definitely a bad fit for women. It took a generation of women fighting for equal rights to get where we are today. Alito's nomination could jeopardize everything.