Ala. Sen. Jeff Sessions
The U.S. Senate held confirmation hearings on anti-LGBT Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions to be attorney general. The Justice Department is responsible for carrying out court decisions, such as the Obergefell marriage equality ruling.
Today, the Dallas Morning News printed an editorial saying Sessions should not be confirmed.
The Human Rights Campaign compared Sessions’ statements at his confirmation hearing with his track record:
| What Sessions said yesterday: | Sessions’ actual record: |
| “I understand the demands for justice and fairness made by the LGBT community.” — Sen. Sessions | Sessions understands the demands, because he’s made a career working against them. Sen. Sessions has earned a score of “zero” on HRC’s Congressional scorecard for every term he has served in the U.S. Congress. |
| “I will ensure that the statutes protecting their civil rights and their safety are fully enforced.” | Sessions has consistently opposed statutes to protect the civil rights of the LGBTQ community — and LGBTQ people are not protected from discrimination under federal law. |
| Sessions said he would uphold federal hate crimes legislation | In at least six different instances, Sen. Sessions has voted against, attempted to sabotage and warned against hate crimes legislation that protect the LGBTQ community. |
| After qualifying the 5-4 vote of the Supreme Court of the United States in Obergefell v. Hodges and the vigorous opposition of the dissenting justices, Sessions said, “I would follow this decision.” | Sen. Sessions called the Obergefell decision “beyond the realm of reality” and was a co-sponsor of the 2004 Federal Marriage Amendment, which would have created a federal definition of marriage excluding same-sex couples and prohibiting state-level recognition of same-sex marriage. |
