Eleanor Holmes Norton Explained

Office:Delegate to the
U.S. House of Representatives
from the District of Columbia's
district
Term Start:January 3, 1991
Predecessor:Walter Fauntroy
Office1:Chair of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
President1:Jimmy Carter
Ronald Reagan
Term Start1:May 27, 1977
Term End1:February 21, 1981
Predecessor1:Lowell W. Perry
Successor1:Clarence Thomas
Birth Date:13 June 1937
Birth Place:Washington, D.C., U.S.
Party:Democratic
Children:2
Education:Antioch College (BA)
Yale University (MA, LLB)
Website:House website
Birth Name:Eleanor Katherine Holmes

Eleanor Holmes Norton (born June 13, 1937)[1] [2] is an American politician, lawyer, and human rights activist. Holmes serves as a congressional delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives, where she has represented the District of Columbia since 1991 as a member of the Democratic Party.[3]

Prior to serving in Congress, Norton organized for Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee during the civil rights movement. From 1977 to 1981, she was the first female chair of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.[4]

Early life and education

Norton was born in Washington, D.C., the daughter of Vela (née Lynch), a schoolteacher, and Coleman Holmes, a civil servant. She attended Dunbar High School, a school famous for educating black children, as a member of its last segregated class.[5] She was elected the junior class president and graduated as a member of the National Honor Society.[6] She attended Antioch College, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in 1960, then Yale University, where she received a Master of Arts in American studies in 1963[7] and a Bachelor of Laws from Yale Law School in 1964.[8]

While in college and graduate school, Norton was active in the civil rights movement and an organizer for the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). By the time she graduated from Antioch, she had already been arrested for organizing and participating in sit-ins in Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Ohio. While in law school, she traveled to Mississippi for the Mississippi Freedom Summer and worked with civil rights stalwarts such as Medgar Evers. Her first encounter with a recently released but physically beaten Fannie Lou Hamer forced her to bear witness to the intensity of violence and Jim Crow repression in the South.[9]

Norton's time with the SNCC inspired her lifelong commitment to social activism and her sense of feminism. She contributed the piece "For Sadie and Maud" to the 1970 anthology , edited by Robin Morgan.[10] [11] Norton was on the founding advisory board of the Women's Rights Law Reporter (founded 1970), the first legal periodical in the United States to focus exclusively on the field of women's rights law. In the early 1970s, Norton was a signer of the Black Woman's Manifesto, a classic document of the Black feminist movement.[12]

Career before Congress

Upon graduation from law school, she worked as a law clerk to Federal District Court Judge A. Leon Higginbotham Jr.[7] In 1965, she became the assistant legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union, a position she held until 1970.[13] In 1970, Norton represented sixty female employees of Newsweek who had filed a claim with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) that Newsweek had a policy of allowing only men to be reporters.[14] The women won, and Newsweek agreed to allow women to be reporters.[14]

Norton specialized in freedom of speech cases, and her work included successfully arguing Carroll v. President & Commissioners of Princess Anne, a Supreme Court case brought on behalf of the white supremacist National States' Rights Party.[15] She put this victory into perspective in an interview with one of the District of Columbia Bar's website editors: "I defended the First Amendment, and you seldom get to defend the First Amendment by defending people you like ... You don't know whether the First Amendment is alive and well until it is tested by people with despicable ideas. And I loved the idea of looking a racist in the face—remember this was a time when racism was much more alive and well than it is today—and saying, 'I am your lawyer, sir, what are you going to do about that?[7] She worked as an adjunct assistant professor at New York University Law School from 1970 to 1971.[16] In 1970, Mayor John Lindsay appointed her as the head of the New York City Human Rights Commission, and she held the first hearings in the country on discrimination against women.[17] Prominent feminists from throughout the country came to New York City to testify, while Norton used the platform as a means of raising public awareness about the application of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to women and sex discrimination.[9]

President Jimmy Carter appointed Norton as the chair of the EEOC in 1977; she became the first female head of the agency.[13] Norton released the EEOC's first set of regulations outlining what constituted sexual harassment and declaring that sexual harassment was indeed a form of sexual discrimination that violated federal civil rights laws.[18]

She has also served as a senior fellow of the Urban Institute.[19] Norton became a professor at Georgetown University Law Center in 1982.[13] During this time, she was a vocal anti-apartheid activist in the U.S., and was a part of the Free South Africa Movement.

In 1990, Norton, along with 15 other African American women and one man, formed African-American Women for Reproductive Freedom.[20]

She contributed the piece "Notes of a Feminist Long Distance Runner" to the 2003 anthology , edited by Robin Morgan.[21]

She received a Foremother Award for her lifetime of accomplishments from the National Research Center for Women & Families in 2011.[22]

Delegate to Congress

See also: District of Columbia voting rights. Norton was elected in 1990 as a Democratic delegate to the House of Representatives. She defeated city council member Betty Ann Kane in the primary despite the last-minute revelation that Norton and her husband, both lawyers, had failed to file D.C. income tax returns between 1982 and 1989.[23] The Nortons paid over $80,000 in back taxes and fines.[24] [25] Her campaign manager was Donna Brazile.[25] The delegate position was open because Del. Walter Fauntroy was running for mayor rather than seeking reelection.[26] Norton received 39 percent of the vote in the Democratic primary election,[27] and 59 percent of the vote in the general election.[28] Norton took office on January 3, 1991, and has been reelected every two years since.[26]

Delegates to Congress are entitled to sit in the House of Representatives and vote in committee, and to offer amendments in the Committee of the Whole, but are not allowed to take part in legislative floor votes.[29] [30] The district and four U.S. territories—Guam, American Samoa, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the U.S. Virgin Islands—send delegates to Congress; the Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico has the same rights as delegates.[29]

William Thomas and the White House Peace Vigil inspired Norton to introduce the Nuclear Disarmament and Economic Conversion Act, which would require the United States to disable and dismantle its nuclear weapons at such time as all other nations possessing nuclear weapons do likewise.[31] Norton has been introducing a version of the bill since 1994.Legislation strongly supported by Norton that would grant the District of Columbia a voting representative in the House, the District of Columbia House Voting Rights Act of 2009, was passed by the United States Senate on February 26, 2009. However, the legislation stalled in the House and failed to pass prior to the end of the 111th Congress.

The legislation proposed in 2009 did not grant Norton the right to vote in the 111th Congress, as she would have had to remain in her elected office of delegate for the duration of her two-year term.[32]

In September 2010, the national press criticized Norton after the release of a voice message in which she solicited campaign funds from a lobbyist representing a project that she oversaw. Norton countered that the message was typical of appeals made by all members of Congress and that the call was made from campaign offices not paid for by taxpayers.[33] In March 2012, the public radio series This American Life featured the voicemail message at the start of a program on lobbying titled "Take the Money and Run for Office".[34]

In May 2012, Norton was blocked from testifying on an anti-abortion bill in her district—the second time she has been blocked from speaking about abortion. She insisted that it was a denial of a common courtesy. Representative Jerrold Nadler supported Norton's protest, saying "Never in my 20 years as a member of Congress have I seen a colleague treated so contemptuously."[35] [36] [37]

In August 2014, after the D.C. Board of Elections voted to put a question about marijuana legalization on the ballot in November 2014, Norton vowed to defend against any congressional attempt to stop the district from voting on the issue and to, if approved, fight any attempt to prevent implementation.[38]

She is a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus[39] and the Congressional Black Caucus.[40]

Committee assignments

Caucus memberships

Legislation sponsored

Legislation supported

Appearances

On July 27, 2006, Norton appeared on the "Better Know a District" segment of Comedy Central's The Colbert Report, in which she spiritedly defended the District of Columbia's claim to being a part of the United States.[58] She also appeared on the joint The Colbert Report/The Daily Show "Midterm Midtacular" special on November 7, 2006.[59] Norton gave further interviews to Stephen Colbert on March 22, 2007,[60] and April 24, 2007, on the subject of representation in the District of Columbia.[61] On February 12, 2008, Colbert and Norton discussed her status as a superdelegate as well as her support of Barack Obama for president.[62] She appeared once again on February 11, 2009, to discuss D.C. representation and promised Colbert that she would make him an honorary citizen of Washington, D.C., and give him a key to the city, if D.C. citizens were given representation. Colbert in turn gave Norton a "TV promise" that he would be there should that happen.[63] Norton made a further appearance on Colbert's show on June 25, 2014, where she discussed the impact that African-American Democrats had on incumbent Thad Cochran's primary defeat of Chris McDaniel, a Tea Party candidate, as well as Colbert's final episode among a cadre of past guests.[64]

On June 27, 2008, Norton appeared on Democracy Now! to discuss the Supreme Court's ruling in District of Columbia v. Heller,[65] which she strongly opposed. On December 5, 2014, Norton appeared on Hannity to discuss the shooting death of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, on which she admitted she did not read the evidence of the case, but criticized the racial profiling of young African Americans.[66] [67]

Legislation regarding NFL tax-exempt status

On October 2, 2014, ABC News reported that Norton, discussing her co-sponsorship of a bill aimed at changing the National Football League's tax-exempt status, stated: "The NFL greed is so widespread that they've chosen to operate as a tax-exempt organization. So we want to take that choice away from them unless, and until, they decide not to profit from a name that has now officially been declared a racial slur."[68] In essence, Norton's position was that until the NFL forced the Washington Redskins owner (Daniel Marc Snyder) to change the team name she would support legislation that would change the NFL's tax status thereby costing the league money.[69]

In popular culture

Eleanor Holmes Norton is portrayed by Joy Bryant in Amazon Video's original series Good Girls Revolt and by Donna Biscoe in the HBO original movie Confirmation.[70]

She is featured in the feminist history film She's Beautiful When She's Angry.[71] [72]

She is portrayed by Ayana Workman in the film Rustin..[73]

Personal life

Norton was married to Edward Norton. They separated on November 17, 1990,[74] and he died in 2014.[75]

She has two children; John, and Katherine who has Down syndrome.[76] Norton is an Episcopalian.[77] [78] [79]

Awards

See also

Further reading

External links

|-

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Cannon . Jasmine Daria . 2023 . Eleanor Holmes Norton . 2024-06-12 . . en.
  2. Web site: Norton, Eleanor Holmes 1937 – . June 12, 2024 . Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
  3. Web site: Eleanor Holmes Norton . 2024-06-12 . . en . 10.1093/oi/authority.20110803100239671?p=emailaghl6tytqyeoo&d=/10.1093/oi/authority.20110803100239671. June 23, 2024 .
  4. Web site: History of the EEOC: Eleanor Holmes Norton . 2024-06-12 . . en.
  5. Web site: Bash . Dana . 2019-07-12 . Eleanor Holmes Norton's fight for equal pay in 1970 still resonates today . 2024-06-12 . . en.
  6. Web site: Liber Anni 1955 (Dunbar High School, Washington, D.C.). . 1955 . Ancestry.com . Generations Network. subscription. 9 May 2020 .
  7. Web site: Legends in the Law. A Conversation with Eleanor Holmes Norton . Staff . June–July 1997 . The District of Columbia Bar . March 16, 2012 . April 1, 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130401134706/http://www.dcbar.org/for_lawyers/resources/legends_in_the_law/norton.cfm . dead .
  8. Web site: Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton . Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton . September 27, 2018 . September 28, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180928083158/https://norton.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=189&Itemid=127 . dead .
  9. Web site: 弁護士の業務 | 交通事故、相続、遺留分減殺請求、刑事、残業代請求、離婚、不倫慰謝料、顧問弁護士、B型肝炎. https://web.archive.org/web/20090202051326/http://voicesofcivilrights.org/civil3.html. dead. February 2, 2009. voicesofcivilrights.org.
  10. Book: Sisterhood is powerful: an anthology of writings from the women's liberation movement (Book, 1970) . [WorldCat.org] . 96157.
  11. Book: Rosalyn Baxandall . Linda Gordon . Dear Sisters: Dispatches From The Women's Liberation Movement . May 17, 2001 . Basic Books . 978-0-7867-3133-6 . 213, 214– .
  12. Web site: Black Women's Manifesto . September 27, 2018 . September 26, 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110926011806/http://scriptorium.lib.duke.edu/wlm/blkmanif/ . dead .
  13. Book: Donna Hightower-Langston . A to Z of American Women Leaders and Activists. March 16, 2012 . 2002 . Infobase Publishing . 978-1-4381-0792-9 . 165–166.
  14. News: Newsweek Agrees to End Sex Discrimination Policy . Associated Press . August 28, 1970 .
  15. News: Graham . Fred P. . November 20, 1968 . High Court Limits Right to Ban Rallies . . subscription . p. 1 . April 24, 2024.
  16. Book: Rebecca Mae Salokar . Mary L. Volcansek . Women in Law: A Bio-Bibliographical Sourcebook . March 16, 2012 . 1996 . Greenwood Publishing Group . 978-0-313-29410-5 . 205.
  17. Book: Rebecca Mae Salokar. Mary L. Volcansek. Women in Law: A Bio-Bibliographical Sourcebook. March 16, 2012. 1996. Greenwood Publishing Group . 978-0-313-29410-5. 203–204.
  18. News: New Rules Ban Sexual Harassment at Work . Robert . Pear . New York Times News Service . April 12, 1980 .
  19. Web site: Urban Institute Annual Report 1988 . Staff . 1988 . . March 16, 2012 . June 14, 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130614032612/http://urban.org/about/report/upload/98report.pdf . dead .
  20. Book: Kathryn Cullen-DuPont. Encyclopedia of women's history in America . February 4, 2012. August 1, 2000. Infobase Publishing. 978-0-8160-4100-8. 6.
  21. Web site: Library Resource Finder: Table of Contents for: Sisterhood is forever : the women's anth . Vufind.carli.illinois.edu. October 15, 2015.
  22. Web site: 2011 Foremothers & Health Policy Hero Awards. Foremothers Lifetime Achievement Awards . https://web.archive.org/web/20110927085643/http://www.center4research.org/news-events/foremothers-awards/ . dead . September 27, 2011 . Staff . 2011 . . March 16, 2012 .
  23. News: Hopeful Won't Quit Despite Tax Woes . September 10, 1990 .
  24. News: D.C. Delegate; Norton Overcomes Last-Minute Crisis to Win. Michael. Abramowitz. The Washington Post. A21. September 12, 1990. July 28, 2008. October 15, 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20121015075400/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/washingtonpost/access/72613775.html?FMT=ABS. dead.
  25. News: Second D.C. Candidate Didn't Pay Taxes; Shadow Seat Hopeful Says Failure to File Is a Protest for Statehood. R.H.. Melton. Abramowitz, Michael. The Washington Post. A01. September 25, 1990. July 28, 2008. October 19, 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20121019154237/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/washingtonpost/access/72616347.html?FMT=ABS. dead.
  26. Web site: Historical Elected Officials: Delegate to the US House of Representatives. District of Columbia Board of Elections and Ethics. July 20, 2008 . https://web.archive.org/web/20080716231315/http://www.dcboee.org/information/eo_index/history/delegate.shtm. July 16, 2008.
  27. News: Woman Nominated for Capital Mayor . B. Drummond Jr. . Ayres . The New York Times . September 12, 1990 .
  28. News: Barry Loses Bid for City Council . Richard . Keil . Associated Press . November 5, 1990 .
  29. Web site: Office of the Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives - Member FAQs . Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of . Representatives . clerk.house.gov . September 27, 2018.
  30. Web site: All News Clips . September 27, 2018 . February 19, 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120219210013/http://www.dcvote.org/media/media.cfm?mediaID=2045&year=2007 . dead .
  31. Web site: Norton Files Nuclear Disarmament Bill to Implement D.C. Ballot Initiative. March 19, 2009.
  32. Web site: OpenCongress . Text of S.160 as Introduced in Senate District of Columbia House Voting Rights Act of 2009 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20090226163130/http://www.opencongress.org/bill/111-s160/text . February 26, 2009.
  33. Web site: Siegel . Hannah . Dialing For Dollars: Democratic Rep. Asks Lobbyist For Campaign Cash In Voicemail . ABC News . April 16, 2012.
  34. Web site: Take the Money and Run for Office . This American Life . March 30, 2012 . PRI . April 16, 2012.
  35. News: ROBILLARD . KEVIN . Norton refused testimony in anti-abortion hearing . June 19, 2012 . Politico . May 17, 2012.
  36. News: Norton Testimony Denied at D.C. Abortion Hearing . NBC4 Washington . May 17, 2012.
  37. News: They did it again: GOP refuses to hear Congresswoman's testimony on DC abortion bill . June 19, 2012 . MSNBC . May 18, 2012 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120521130913/http://leanforward.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/05/18/11760590-they-did-it-again-gop-refuses-to-hear-congresswomans-testimony-on-dc-abortion-bill?lite . May 21, 2012.
  38. Web site: Hess . Hannah . Norton Vows to Defend D.C.'s Pot Legalization Initiative From Congress . rollcall.com . Roll Call . August 7, 2014 . August 10, 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140810103707/http://blogs.rollcall.com/hill-blotter/norton-vows-to-defend-d-c-s-pot-legalization-initiative-from-congress/?dcz=emailalert . dead .
  39. Web site: Caucus Members. Congressional Progressive Caucus. January 30, 2018.
  40. Web site: Membership . Congressional Black Caucus. March 7, 2018.
  41. Web site: Caucus Membrs. US House of Representatives . January 3, 2021.
  42. Web site: Members. House Baltic Caucus. February 21, 2018. June 19, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220619215630/https://housebalticcaucus.webs.com/members. dead.
  43. Web site: Membership. Congressional Arts Caucus. March 13, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180612140644/https://artscaucus-slaughter.house.gov/membership. June 12, 2018. dead.
  44. Web site: Congressional Freethought Caucus expands rapidly . Freedom from Religion Foundation . September 26, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180926000636/https://ffrf.org/news/news-releases/item/33110-congressional-freethought-caucus-expands-rapidly . September 26, 2018 . live.
  45. Web site: 90 Current Climate Solutions Caucus Members. Citizen's Climate Lobby . 20 October 2018.
  46. Web site: Members. U.S. - Japan Caucus. 14 December 2018.
  47. Web site: Members . 2023-06-01 . LGBTQ+ Equality Caucus . en . February 22, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230222222548/https://lgbtq.house.gov/Members . dead .
  48. Web site: Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute. en.
  49. Web site: Norton. Eleanor Holmes. The Introduction of a Bill to Name the U.S. Coast Guard Headquarters -- (Extensions of Remarks - July 08, 2013). Library of Congress. July 15, 2013.
  50. News: Debonis. Mike. Search for D.C.'s next CFO takes shape. November 19, 2013. The Washington Post. July 8, 2013.
  51. Web site: H.R. 3343 - Summary. United States Congress. November 18, 2013.
  52. Web site: CBO - H.R. 4185 . May 16, 2014 . Congressional Budget Office. July 15, 2014.
  53. Web site: H.R. 4185 - Summary . July 15, 2014. United States Congress. July 15, 2014.
  54. Web site: Norton Bill to Strengthen Local Justice Process in D.C. Passes House . July 14, 2014 . Office of Eleanor Holmes Norton. July 15, 2014.
  55. Web site: CBO - S. 994. December 5, 2013. Congressional Budget Office . April 28, 2014.
  56. News: Marcos. Cristina. Federal transparency bill headed to White House. April 29, 2014. The Hill. April 28, 2014.
  57. News: Marcos . Cristina . House votes to allow more DC penthouses . April 29, 2014 . The Hill. April 28, 2014.
  58. Web site: The Colbert Report - 07/27/2006 - Better Know a District - District of Columbia - Eleanor Holmes Norton . September 27, 2018.
  59. Web site: The Colbert Report: Indecision 2006 - Midterm Midtactular - 11/07/2006 - Robert Wexler and Eleanor Holmes Norton . September 27, 2018.
  60. Web site: The Colbert Report - 03/22/2007 - Eleanor Holmes Norton . September 27, 2018.
  61. Web site: The Colbert Report - 04/24/2007 - Eleanor Holmes Norton. September 27, 2018.
  62. Web site: The Colbert Report - 02/12/2008 - Eleanor Holmes Norton . September 27, 2018.
  63. Web site: The Colbert Report - 02/11/2009 - DC Voting Rights Act - Eleanor Holmes Norton . September 27, 2018.
  64. Web site: Cohen . Matt . Eleanor Holmes Norton Vs Stephen Colbert, Round Four . DCist.com . . June 26, 2014 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20141109003851/http://dcist.com/2014/06/eleanor_holmes_norton_vs_stephen_co.php . November 9, 2014.
  65. Web site: Supreme Court Strikes Down DC Handgun Ban . . September 27, 2018.
  66. Web site: Hannity Rips Into Eleanor Holmes Norton: You Didn't Read Ferguson Evidence?! . Mediaite . Josh Feldman . December 5, 2014.
  67. Web site: Hannity, Norton clash over Ferguson evidence . The Hill . Eric Garland . December 5, 2014 . December 5, 2014.
  68. Web site: 'Capital Games': Behind Congress' 'Attack' on NFL Tax Breaks. Rick. Klein. ABC News. September 27, 2018.
  69. Web site: Yahoo Sports NFL . Yahoo! Sport. September 27, 2018.
  70. Web site: The Stars of 'Good Girls Revolt' on What 1960s Revolutionaries Can Teach Us. Bailey. Alyssa. 2016-10-20. ELLE. en-US. 2020-03-31.
  71. Web site: The Women. April 28, 2017.
  72. Web site: The Film — She's Beautiful When She's Angry . Shesbeautifulwhenshesangry.com. April 28, 2017.
  73. Web site: The Film — Rustin/. November 17, 2023 .
  74. News: D.C. DELEGATE NORTON SEEKS SEPARATION . . 2024-02-01.
  75. News: Adam Bernstein . August 28, 2014 . Edward Norton, lawyer whose tax flouting nearly cost wife a career in Congress, dies . The Washington Post. Washington, DC . August 28, 2014 .
  76. News: Sue Anne Pressley. May 22, 2005 . For politician, daughter is bliss . Chicago Tribune . May 22, 2015 .
  77. Web site: Mitchell . Travis . 2019-01-03 . Faith on the Hill: The religious composition of the 116th Congress . 2022-11-12 . Pew Research Center's Religion & Public Life Project . en-US.
  78. Web site: Club Managers Association of America - Rep. Eleanor Norton (D-DC-01) . 2022-11-12 . congressweb.com.
  79. Web site: 2018-05-19 . Norton to Speak at St. Augustine Episcopal Church's Thurgood Marshall Celebration, Sunday . 2022-11-12 . Representative Eleanor Holmes Norton . en.
  80. Web site: Foremother and Health Policy Hero Awards Luncheon. May 7, 2018.
  81. News: Filby . Max . Antioch College to honor 14-term congresswoman alumna . 26 April 2021 . Dayton Daily News . 26 April 2017.
  82. Web site: 2020 Honorees . National Women's History Alliance . 8 January 2020 . January 15, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200115050016/https://nationalwomenshistoryalliance.org/2020-honorees/ . dead .

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