NOW Will Not File Brief On Jones' Behalf
WASHINGTON (AllPolitics, April 22) -- The National Organization for Women says it will not file a brief in support of Paula Jones' appeal of the dismissal of her lawsuit against President Bill Clinton.
"We do not intend to encourage higher courts to consider and possibly create legal precedent that would injure everyday women in the workplace, based on the allegations and evidence of a politically charged case," said NOW President Patricia Ireland.
Jones, a former Arkansas state employee, alleges that then-Gov. Clinton exposed himself and requested she perform oral sex during an encounter in a Little Rock hotel room in 1991. Clinton has said he doesn't recall meeting Jones and has denied any wrongdoing.
On April 1, U.S. District Judge Susan Webber Wright in Little Rock dismissed the lawsuit, saying that even if Jones' allegations were true, Clinton's conduct would not meet the legal standards necessary to constitute sexual harassment.
Ireland called the case imperfect at best, saying, "Hard cases make bad laws ... We have decided not to work with these disreputable right-wing organizations and individuals advancing [Jones'] cause."
NOW did not poll its membership, but Ireland said that it was clear from contact with about 500 of its local chapters they did not support filing a friend-of-the-court brief by margins of at least 8-to-1 and possibly 10-to-1.
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