Federal Courts

Critical committee vote on voting rights expert for Second Circuit

The Senate Judiciary Committee is expected to vote on the nomination of Myrna Pérez to the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit on Thursday, August 5. Pérez is widely considered one of our nation’s top legal minds on voting rights. Her career is long and impressive — she has argued complex cases in federal and state courthouses all across the country, taught at both Columbia and New York University law schools, testified before Congress and several state legislatures on a variety of voting rights related issues, and frequently speaks on academic and bar association panels.
Take Action! Urge your senators to support the nomination of Myrna Pérez, particularly if they are members of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Voting

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. Learn how to get involved!

Additional Updates

New eviction moratorium announced

The federal moratorium on evictions — which has saved as many as 40 million Americans from eviction — ended on July 31. Though lawmakers approved $46.5 billion in rent assistance over the course of the pandemic, most of the funding has not been distributed by state and local governments to those in need. In June, the Supreme Court signaled in Alabama Association of Realtors v. HHS, that the Centers for Disease Control exceeded its authority when it extended the eviction moratorium to July 31 and would need legislation passed by Congress for an extension to August and beyond. Heeding calls to action by lawmakers and people around the country, the president announced a new federal eviction moratorium targeting counties with elevated rates of coronavirus infections. While not all renters facing eviction will benefit from the new policy, NCJW welcomes this step as the delta variant takes a greater hold on the country.

Bipartisan infrastructure deal advances in Senate

This week the Senate is looking to pass its bipartisan infrastructure bill, titled the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which invests in physical infrastructure, including roads, rail, bridges, water, and broadband.

The bipartisan infrastructure bill is one of two tracks being pursued by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY); the other track is the next COVID recovery package, which will be passed using a legislative procedure known as reconciliation. (A reconciliation bill only needs a simple majority, or 51 votes, to pass.) Senate Democrats on the Budget Committee released topline numbers on the recovery package in July, but progressive and moderate Democrats are far from the agreement — and the bill is not expected to garner any Republican support. The recovery bill will include “soft” infrastructure priorities, including paid leave, childcare, health care reforms, and a path to citizenship for certain categories of immigrants. NCJW cares deeply that these priorities become law, and we know that the only way to get both bills passed by a divided Democratic caucus is to pair them together. The next two weeks will be critical to the fate of both the bipartisan infrastructure and recovery bills.

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