Federal Courts

Cunningham confirmed to the Federal Circuit!

On July 19, the Senate confirmed (63-33) Tiffany Cunningham’s nomination to the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. Tiffany Cunningham, supported by NCJW, will bring deep expertise and much-needed diversity to the Federal Circuit, which has never had a Black judge in its 39-year history.

Fair, diverse, and qualified judges set to advance in Senate Judiciary

On July 22, the Senate Judiciary Committee is expected to vote on the nomination of Chief Judge Gustavo A. Gelpí, Jr. to the US Court of Appeals for the First Circuit. As a Puerto Rican jurist, Chief Judge Gelpí would bring a much-needed perspective to the federal judiciary. If confirmed, Chief Judge Gelpi would be the second judge from Puerto Rico to ever sit on the First Circuit. And, on July 29, the committee is expected to vote on the nomination of Myrna Pérez, a voting rights expert, for the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. If confirmed, Pérez would be the only Latina on the court and the first since Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor. NCJW supports Chief Judge Gelpí and Myrna Pérez, two outstanding nominees for lifetime positions on the federal bench.

• Take Action! Contact your senators (especially if they sit on the Senate Judiciary Committee) in support of these two nominees.

Two public defenders await vote in Senate for lifetime appointments

On July 15, the Senate Judiciary Committee voted to advance the nominations of Eunice Lee to the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit (11-10) and Veronica Rossman to the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit (12-10) out of committee. Both Lee and Rossman — supported by NCJW — have spent their careers as public defenders, with Lee representing more than 380 clients over the past 20 years and Rossman representing over 250 clients in the last 12 years.

• Take Action! Contact your senators in support of Lee, Rossman, and other nominees supported by NCJW.

Voting Rights

March On for Voting Rights

On Saturday, August 28, March On, SEIU, National Action Network and the Drum Major Institute are organizing a “March On for Voting Rights” to demand that legislatures across the country end their push for restrictive voting laws and that Congress pass the For the People Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Restoration Act. These critical bills will ensure free, fair access to the ballot for every American voter. Marches will be held in Atlanta, Houston, Miami and Phoenix, where voting rights are under attack, and in Washington, DC, where Congress is debating voting rights legislation. To learn more about the March On for Voting Rights, visit www.marchonforvotingrights.org. Stay tuned for how to get involved with NCJW!

Additional Updates:

Update on recovery package

Last week, Senate Democrats from the Budget Committee reached consensus on the topline priorities of the next COVID-19 recovery package. The negotiations on the package are closely tied to negotiations on the bipartisan infrastructure bill, which is in motion as Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) called for a vote to advance the bipartisan bill this week. There’s a lot in flux, and NCJW is following closely to ensure that our priorities in the recovery package make it to the finish line.

• Take action! Tell your senators that Congress must pass a broad recovery package that helps women, children, and families alongside an infrastructure package.

Judge rules against DACA

On July 16, Judge Hanen in the Southern District of Texas partially ended the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, known as DACA, which allows young immigrants to live and work legally in the US. The ruling means that no new DACA applications can be granted, though current DACA recipients can still apply for renewals. This ruling is further evidence that temporary protections leave people vulnerable. The only thing that can protect DACA recipients and other temporarily protected immigrants — other immigrant youth, Temporary Protected Status (TPS) holders, farmworkers, and essential workers — is a pathway to citizenship. NCJW condemns the decision and calls on Congress to include a path to citizenship in the next COVID-19 recovery package (see paragraph above).

Education Department releases guidance for DeVos-era Title IX rule

On July 20, the US Department of Education released new guidance to help schools understand their obligations under the DeVos Title IX rule while it undergoes a comprehensive review. The Title IX review follows President Biden’s March executive order that directed Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona to review the 2020 Title IX rule and issue new guidance. NCJW opposed the DeVos Title IX rule and provided a written comment for the Title IX Public Hearing last month urging the restoration of longstanding protections for students and student survivors in a Biden Title IX Rule.