Patrick Leahy ruthlessly dogs Jeff Sessions over his opposition to the Violence Against Women Act

Patrick Leahy.
(Image credit: Brendan Smialowski/Getty Images)

Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) relentlessly pressed Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) about the decision to vote against the Violence Against Women Act during Sessions' attorney general hearing Tuesday.

VAWA was signed into law in 1994 by President Bill Clinton, and faced opposition by 22 Republican senators during its 2012 renewal due in part to the fact that it proposed to extend protections to same-sex couples and Native Americans, and would allow battered illegal immigrants to obtain temporary visas. Sessions specified Tuesday that "he didn't like one particular and 'concerning' provision regarding how it would be expanded to cases on tribal lands."

In 2013, Sessions said, "I favor the Violence Against Women Act and have supported it at various points over the years, but there are matters put on that bill that almost seem to invite opposition." He added: "You think that's possible? You think they might have put things in there we couldn't support, [so that] maybe then they could accuse you of not being supportive of fighting violence against women?"

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

Leahy turned up the pressure on Sessions further Tuesday, asking if Sessions would defend the current VAWA and the provisions he opposed in it against a challenge. "I will defend the statute if it's reasonably defensible," Sessions replied.

To continue reading this article...
Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.
Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.
Cancel or pause at any time.
Already a subscriber to The Week?
Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us
Jeva Lange

Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.