WASHINGTON, D.C. — In the case of U.S. v. Morrison, the Independent Women’s Forum agrees with the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals that the federal ‘gender crimes’ provisions of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) are unconstitutional.
The Constitution does not permit Congress to regulate private conduct that is not ‘interstate’ and not ‘commerce.’
In its amicus curiae brief filed in this case, the Independent Women’s Forum argues that Congress is wasting its time-and adding to victims’ suffering-by federalizing offenses already prohibited by state laws.
The Brzonkala case is a good example. A young woman sued in federal court in March 1996, over an incident that allegedly occurred at her college in September 1994. Fourteen months later, in July 1996, the federal trial court dismissed her case, saying she should have sued in state, rather than federal court. Had she done so then, she would have long ago had her day in court. Instead, her lawyers plan to let their client wait another year or so for justice while they attempt to vindicate the unconstitutional, radical feminist-inspired Violence Against Women Act.
Once again left-wing feminists can’t seem to distinguish their own interests from the interests of real women who are victims of sexual assault. If Congress and the feminist activists who lobbied for VAWA really cared about protecting victims, they would emphasize local crime prevention, followed by strong support for local prosecution. Setting up two parallel systems of justice, federal and state, to handle purely local cases is a waste of resources. Crime victims deserve better from Washington, D.C.
Let’s hope the Supreme Court will agree that VAWA gender crimes are unconstitutional.