Hoyer Statement on the 150th Anniversary of the Fourteenth Amendment
For Immediate Release:
July 9, 2018
Contact Info:
Annaliese Davis 202-225-4131
WASHINGTON, DC - House Democratic Whip Steny H. Hoyer (MD) released the following statement today on the 150th anniversary of the ratification of the Fourteenth Amendment, granting all Americans equal protection under the law:
“A century and a half ago, after the great struggle to end the evil of slavery, Congress and the states ratified the Fourteenth Amendment, enshrining into our Constitution the principle that all Americans are entitled to equal protection under our laws. In the decades since, the Fourteenth Amendment has informed our understanding of the meaning of citizenship and equality in our country perhaps more than any other. It has been cited in pivotal Supreme Court decisions, from school desegregation to the end of laws banning interracial marriage, from Roe v. Wade to the marriage equality ruling in 2015. In many ways, the Fourteenth Amendment executed the vision of the President Abraham Lincoln, who called for ‘a new birth of freedom’ once the Civil War had concluded and Reconstruction commenced.
“However, as the President prepares to announce his Supreme Court nominee, it’s clear that progress is being put at risk. From protecting access to health care to defending women’s rights, LGBT rights, and voting rights, Democrats will strongly oppose Republican efforts to roll back the progress we’ve made toward a more perfect union and remain committed to standing up for equality and justice for all Americans.”
“A century and a half ago, after the great struggle to end the evil of slavery, Congress and the states ratified the Fourteenth Amendment, enshrining into our Constitution the principle that all Americans are entitled to equal protection under our laws. In the decades since, the Fourteenth Amendment has informed our understanding of the meaning of citizenship and equality in our country perhaps more than any other. It has been cited in pivotal Supreme Court decisions, from school desegregation to the end of laws banning interracial marriage, from Roe v. Wade to the marriage equality ruling in 2015. In many ways, the Fourteenth Amendment executed the vision of the President Abraham Lincoln, who called for ‘a new birth of freedom’ once the Civil War had concluded and Reconstruction commenced.
“However, as the President prepares to announce his Supreme Court nominee, it’s clear that progress is being put at risk. From protecting access to health care to defending women’s rights, LGBT rights, and voting rights, Democrats will strongly oppose Republican efforts to roll back the progress we’ve made toward a more perfect union and remain committed to standing up for equality and justice for all Americans.”