Law Student Says Gorsuch Made Sexist Statement In Class. Her Classmates SHRED Her Claim.
In the letter, Sisk alleges that while Gorsuch was teaching at Colorado last year, he told students that employers, particularly law firms, should press potential female employees about whether they were planning to have children, suggesting women often manipulate maternity leave benefits, and making "very clear that the question of commitment to work over family was one that only women have to answer for."
A number of people have since come forward to defend Gorsuch, including several students who were in his class — some, in fact, in the very same class as Sisk. National Review's Ed Whalen collated some of the responses strongly refuting Sisk's accusation. A few examples below.
Baker Arena, a self-described "liberal feminist Democrat" and one of Sisk's former classmates, who was there for the lecture Sisk describes, sent her own letter to the Senate Judiciary committee explaining Gorsuch's highly effective "hypothetical ethical dilemma" lecture.
"During Judge Gorsuch’s presentation of such counterarguments, I do not recall him accusing women of taking advantage of paid maternity leave policies, much less espousing such accusations as his personal beliefs," her letter concludes. "In class and in our conversations outside of class, Judge Gorsuch was always extremely respectful, inclusive, tolerant and open-minded. Additionally, Judge Gorsuch’s never shared his personal views on legal or ethical matters in class and was somewhat of an enigma. Had he made the statements he is accused of making, I would have surely noticed as they would be out of his character and had he said such things, I potentially would have even said something to him concerning these statements. That is not the Judge Gorsuch I know."
In the letter, Sisk alleges that while Gorsuch was teaching at Colorado last year, he told students that employers, particularly law firms, should press potential female employees about whether they were planning to have children, suggesting women often manipulate maternity leave benefits, and making "very clear that the question of commitment to work over family was one that only women have to answer for."
Throughout this class Judge Gorsuch continued to make it very clear that the question of commitment to work over family was one that only women have to answer for. There was no discussion of the reasons women may leave employment when having children or the difficulties in raising young children and meeting the high billable hours required in law firms. Instead, Judge Gorsuch continued to steer the conversation back to the problems women pose for companies and the protections that companies need from women.
A number of people have since come forward to defend Gorsuch, including several students who were in his class — some, in fact, in the very same class as Sisk. National Review's Ed Whalen collated some of the responses strongly refuting Sisk's accusation. A few examples below.
Baker Arena, a self-described "liberal feminist Democrat" and one of Sisk's former classmates, who was there for the lecture Sisk describes, sent her own letter to the Senate Judiciary committee explaining Gorsuch's highly effective "hypothetical ethical dilemma" lecture.
"During Judge Gorsuch’s presentation of such counterarguments, I do not recall him accusing women of taking advantage of paid maternity leave policies, much less espousing such accusations as his personal beliefs," her letter concludes. "In class and in our conversations outside of class, Judge Gorsuch was always extremely respectful, inclusive, tolerant and open-minded. Additionally, Judge Gorsuch’s never shared his personal views on legal or ethical matters in class and was somewhat of an enigma. Had he made the statements he is accused of making, I would have surely noticed as they would be out of his character and had he said such things, I potentially would have even said something to him concerning these statements. That is not the Judge Gorsuch I know."
