Myrna Pérez

Myrna Pérez
Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
Incumbent
Assumed office
November 12, 2021
Appointed byJoe Biden
Preceded byDenny Chin
Personal details
Born1974 (age 49–50)
San Antonio, Texas, U.S.
Spouse
Mark Muntzel
​
(m. 2007)​
EducationYale University (BA)
Harvard University (MPP)
Columbia University (JD)

Myrna Pérez (born 1974)[1] is an American lawyer serving as a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.[2][3] She was previously the director of voting rights at the Brennan Center for Justice.[4]

Early life and education

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Pérez is a native of San Antonio, Texas.[2] She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Yale University in 1996, a Master of Public Policy from the Harvard Kennedy School in 1998, and a Juris Doctor from Columbia Law School in 2003.[5]

Career

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Pérez began her career as a policy analyst in the Government Accountability Office. She was later a law clerk for judges Anita B. Brody of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and Julio M. Fuentes of the United States Court of Appeal for the Third Circuit. Pérez joined the Brennan Center for Justice in 2006 and left in 2021 after being confirmed as a federal judge.[3] She has been a lecturer at Columbia Law School and an adjunct professor at the New York University School of Law.[6] Perez co-authored reports about voter purges in 2008 and 2018. Pérez also authored reports on wait times at polling locations for people of color, the impact of resource allocation on election day, and voter identification.[7]

Federal judicial service

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On June 15, 2021, President Joe Biden announced his intent to nominate Pérez to serve as a United States circuit judge for the Second Circuit to the seat vacated by Judge Denny Chin, who assumed senior status on June 1, 2021.[8][9] On July 14, 2021, a hearing on her nomination was held before the Senate Judiciary Committee.[10] During her hearing, Pérez was questioned about her voting rights advocacy, including an article she had written called "The GOP Campaign to Make Elections Less Free." Pérez said that she didn't write or approve the article headline, and pledged to set aside her past advocacy work if confirmed to the court.[11][12] On August 5, 2021, her nomination was reported out of committee by a 12–10 vote.[13][11] On October 19, 2021, Majority Leader Chuck Schumer filed cloture on her nomination.[14] On October 21, 2021, the United States Senate invoked cloture on her nomination by a 51–48 vote.[15] On October 25, 2021, her nomination was confirmed by a 48–43 vote.[16] She received her judicial commission on November 12, 2021.[17]

Personal life

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Pérez married Mark Muntzel, a mechanical engineer, in 2007.[18]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary: Questionnaire for Judicial Nominees: Myrna Pérez" (PDF).
  2. ^ a b "Meet Myrna Pérez, an advocate for a trustworthy election in the pandemic". The Fulcrum. September 18, 2020. Retrieved June 15, 2021.
  3. ^ a b Hulse, Carl (June 15, 2021). "A leading voting rights expert is among Biden's new round of judicial nominees". The New York Times. Retrieved June 21, 2021.
  4. ^ Fandos, Nicholas (June 8, 2021). "Senate Confirms First Biden Judges, Beginning Push to Rebalance Courts". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved June 21, 2021.
  5. ^ "President Biden Announces 4th Slate of Judicial Nominations". The White House. June 15, 2021. Retrieved June 15, 2021.
  6. ^ Cassens Weiss, Debra (June 16, 2021). "Biden's latest judicial picks include a voting rights lawyer nominated to the 2nd Circuit". ABA Journal. Retrieved June 21, 2021.
  7. ^ "Voting Rights Lawyer Myrna Perez Confirmed to Second Circuit (1)". news.bloomberglaw.com.
  8. ^ "Nominations Sent to the Senate". The White House. June 15, 2021.
  9. ^ Balsamo, Michael (June 7, 2021). "Schumer recommending 2 voting rights lawyers to be judges". AP NEWS. Retrieved June 21, 2021.
  10. ^ "Nominations | United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary". www.judiciary.senate.gov. July 14, 2021.
  11. ^ a b Scarcella, Mike (August 5, 2021). "Senate panel advances Myrna Pérez, voting rights advocate, for 2nd Cir". Reuters – via www.reuters.com.
  12. ^ Ruger, Todd (July 14, 2021). "Appeals court nominee sparks debate over past voting rights advocacy". Roll Call. Retrieved September 27, 2021.
  13. ^ "Results of Executive Business Meeting – August 5, 2021" (PDF). United States Committee on the Judiciary. August 5, 2021.
  14. ^ "PN643 — Myrna Perez — The Judiciary". Congress.gov. Retrieved July 7, 2023.
  15. ^ "On the Cloture Motion (Motion to Invoke Cloture: Myrna Perez to be U.S. Circuit Judge for the Second Circuit)". United States Senate. October 21, 2021. Retrieved February 15, 2022.
  16. ^ "On the Nomination (Confirmation: Myrna Pérez, of New York, to be United States Circuit Judge for the Second Circuit)". United States Senate. October 25, 2021. Retrieved October 25, 2021.
  17. ^ Myrna Pérez at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
  18. ^ "Myrna Pérez, Mark Muntzel". The New York Times. October 7, 2007. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved June 15, 2021.
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Legal offices
Preceded by Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
2021–present 		Incumbent
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