Protecting Older Americans Act

The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee recently advanced the Protecting Older Americans Act to prevent forced arbitration clauses that stop victims of age discrimination from seeking justice and public accountability in courts. An AARP survey found that 78% of older workers have either seen or experienced age discrimination within the workplace. This bill is built off previous successful efforts from lawmakers that invalidated forced arbitration agreements in cases concerning sexual harassment and assault. 

U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said:

“Older Americans who face age discrimination should have a choice of whether to bring their claims in court or pursue them through arbitration. Our bipartisan hearing last month on the effects of forced arbitration confirmed that truth. This Committee came together in 2022 to invalidate forced arbitration clauses and open the courts for victims of sexual assault and sexual harassment, and it’s time for Congress to build on that progress and do the same for victims of age discrimination.”

The Committee also has advanced from judicial nominations to the full Senate, which continues the Committee’s work in bringing balance to the federal judiciary. This includes one circuit court nominee and three district court nominees. Durbin said, “I’m pleased to see our work to advance judicial nominations and bring balance to the federal judiciary continue with strength. We just advanced four highly qualified nominees, including U.S. Attorney Kevin Ritz, to the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals. Mr. Ritz has been subjected to untrue, unfounded, and wholly inappropriate accusations, a stark and unwarranted pivot from the strong support for his nomination to be U.S. Attorney in 2022 by this Committee and his home state Senators. While the treatment of Mr. Ritz was beyond disappointing, I’ll continue encouraging my Republican and Democratic colleagues to engage with the White House to identify and advance nominees to lifetime posts on the federal bench,”

Following the meeting, the Senate Judiciary Committee advanced 214 Article III judicial nominees, having 194 of them confirm lifetime appointments, not the federal bench. Now, seventeen lifetime judges, four circuit courts, and thirteen district courts are ready for a vote on the Senate floor.