Myrna Pérez

Myrna Pérez (born 1974)[1] is an American lawyer and jurist who serves as a United States Circuit Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.[2][3][4] She is a former voting rights advocate who was the director of voting rights at the Brennan Center for Justice.[5]

Myrna Pérez
Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
Assumed office
November 12, 2021
Appointed byJoe Biden
Preceded byDenny Chin
Personal details
Born1974 (age 46–47)
San Antonio, Texas, U.S.
Spouse(s)
Mark Muntzel
​
(m. 2007)​
EducationYale University (BA)
Harvard University (MPP)
Columbia University (JD)

Early life and education

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 the Columbia Law School in 2003.[6]

Career

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 co-authored a major report exposing the phenomenon of voter purges in 2008, as well as a 2018 report showing that such purges soared in jurisdictions previously covered by the Voting Rights Act following the 2013 Shelby County v. Holder Supreme Court decision.[7] Pérez has authored reports on the disproportionately long wait times at polling locations for Black and Latino Americans, the impact of disproportionate allocation of election day resources, and the challenge of obtaining voter identification.[8] She has been a lecturer at Columbia Law School and an adjunct professor at the New York University School of Law.[9]

Federal judicial service

On June 15, 2021, President Joe Biden announced his intent to nominate Pérez to serve as a United States Circuit Judge for the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit to the seat vacated by Judge Denny Chin, who took senior status on June 1, 2021.[10][11] On July 14, 2021, a hearing on her nomination was held before the Senate Judiciary Committee.[12] During her hearing, Pérez was questioned about her voting rights advocacy, including an article she had written titled "The GOP Campaign to Make Elections Less Free." She said she would set aside her past advocacy work if confirmed to the court.[13][14] On August 5, 2021, her nomination was reported out of committee.[15] by a 12–10 vote.[13] On October 25, 2021, her nomination was confirmed in the United States Senate by a 48–43 vote.[16] She received her judicial commission on November 12, 2021.[17]

Personal life

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

See also

References
  1. "United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary: Questionnaire for Judicial Nominees: Myrna Pérez" (PDF).
  2. "Meet Myrna Pérez, an advocate for a trustworthy election in the pandemic". The Fulcrum. 2020-09-18. Retrieved 2021-06-15.
  3. Hulse, Carl (2021-06-15). "A leading voting rights expert is among Biden's new round of judicial nominees". The New York Times. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
  4. "Roll Call Vote 117th Congress - 1st Session". United States Senate.
  5. Fandos, Nicholas (2021-06-08). "Senate Confirms First Biden Judges, Beginning Push to Rebalance Courts". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-06-21.
  6. "President Biden Announces 4th Slate of Judicial Nominations". The White House. 2021-06-15. Retrieved 2021-06-15.
  7. https://www.brennancenter.org/about/staff/myrna-perez
  8. https://www.afj.org/document/myrna-perez-fact-sheet/
  9. Cassens Weiss, Debra (June 16, 2021). "Biden's latest judicial picks include a voting rights lawyer nominated to the 2nd Circuit". ABA Journal. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
  10. "Nominations Sent to the Senate". The White House. June 15, 2021.
  11. Balsamo, Michael (2021-06-07). "Schumer recommending 2 voting rights lawyers to be judges". AP NEWS. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
  12. "Nominations | United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary". www.judiciary.senate.gov.
  13. Scarcella, Mike (August 5, 2021). "Senate panel advances Myrna Pérez, voting rights advocate, for 2nd Cir" – via www.reuters.com.
  14. Ruger, Todd (14 July 2021). "Appeals court nominee sparks debate over past voting rights advocacy". Roll Call. Retrieved 27 September 2021.
  15. "Congressional Record: PROCEEDINGS AND DEBATES OF THE 117th CONGRESS, FIRST SESSION" (PDF). Washington, D.C. August 5, 2021. p. 40.
  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. "Pérez, Myrna". Federal Judicial Center. Retrieved November 15, 2021.
  18. "Myrna Pérez, Mark Muntzel". The New York Times. 2007-10-07. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-06-15.



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