Myrna Pérez

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]

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 48–49)
San Antonio, Texas, U.S.
Spouse
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.[5]

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 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]

Notable cases

In 2006, Perez represented the Idaho Aids Foundation in a suit against the Idaho Housing and Finance Association regarding the cut-off of funding for the former’s programming.[8][9]

In 2007, Perez was part of the legal team participating in a suit involving the voting rights of convicted felons in Alabama.[10][11]

Perez participated as amicus in a suit challenging the at-large voting system set up by the Village of Port Chester as violative of the Voting Rights Act by diluting Hispanic votes.[12][13]

In 2016, Perez served as counsel for a number of plaintiff groups challenging Texas SB 14, which required photo ID in order to vote. Perez successfully persuaded the Fifth Circuit to strike down the law.[14]

In 2020, Perez represented plaintiffs challenging restrictions placed on felon re-enfranchisement by the Florida legislature, Jones v. Governor of Fla.[15]

Also in 2020, Perez defended the state of Pennsylvania’s mail-in-voting scheme for the 2020 presidential elections.[16]

Federal judicial service

On June 15, 2021, President Joe Biden announced his intent to nominate Pérez to serve as a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit to the seat vacated by Judge Denny Chin, who assumed senior status on June 1, 2021.[17][18] On July 14, 2021, a hearing on her nomination was held before the Senate Judiciary Committee.[19] 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.[20][21] On August 5, 2021, her nomination was reported out of committee by a 12–10 vote.[22][20] On October 21, 2021, the United States Senate invoked cloture on her nomination by a 51–48 vote.[23] On October 25, 2021, her nomination was confirmed by a 48–43 vote.[24] She received her judicial commission on November 12, 2021.[25] She is the only Latina on the Second Circuit.[26]

Personal life

Pérez married Mark Muntzel, a mechanical engineer, in 2007.[27]

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. 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.
  5. "President Biden Announces 4th Slate of Judicial Nominations". The White House. 2021-06-15. Retrieved 2021-06-15.
  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 21 June 2021.
  7. "Voting Rights Lawyer Myrna Perez Confirmed to Second Circuit (1)". news.bloomberglaw.com.
  8. "Idaho AIDS Found., Inc. v. Idaho Hous. & Fin. Ass'n, 422 F. Supp. 2d 1193 (D. Idaho 2006)". 19 December 2008.
  9. "Myrna Perez – Nominee to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit". 28 June 2021.
  10. "Alabama Felon Disenfranchisement Limited".
  11. "MEMORANDUM ON REINSTATEMENT OF VOTING RIGHTS OF EX-OFFENDERS UNDER ALABAMA LAW*" (PDF).
  12. "FAIRVOTE FILES TWO AMICUS BRIEFS IN PORT CHESTER (NY) VOTING RIGHTS CASE". January 2007.
  13. "VILLAGE OF PORT CHESTER, NEW YORK, ENTERS INTO HISTORIC VOTING RIGHTS CONSENT DECREE WITH THE UNITED STATES" (PDF).
  14. "Texas Voter ID Law Violates Voting Rights Act, Court Rules". 20 July 2016.
  15. "11th Circ. Sides With Fla. In Felon Voting Rights Dispute".
  16. "Coronavirus fuels historic legal battle over voting as 2020 U.S. election looms". Reuters. 24 September 2020.
  17. "Nominations Sent to the Senate". The White House. June 15, 2021.
  18. Balsamo, Michael (2021-06-07). "Schumer recommending 2 voting rights lawyers to be judges". AP NEWS. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
  19. "Nominations | United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary". www.judiciary.senate.gov.
  20. Scarcella, Mike (August 5, 2021). "Senate panel advances Myrna Pérez, voting rights advocate, for 2nd Cir". Reuters – via www.reuters.com.
  21. Ruger, Todd (14 July 2021). "Appeals court nominee sparks debate over past voting rights advocacy". Roll Call. Retrieved 27 September 2021.
  22. "Results of Executive Business Meeting – August 5, 2021" (PDF). United States Committee on the Judiciary. August 5, 2021 – via www.judiciary.senate.gov.
  23. "On the Cloture Motion (Motion to Invoke Cloture: Myrna Perez to be U.S. Circuit Judge for the Second Circuit)". Washington, D.C.: United States Senate. October 21, 2021. Retrieved February 15, 2022.
  24. "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.
  25. Myrna Pérez at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a public domain publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
  26. "Recap: Latino Judicial Nominations in 2021" (Press release). Washington, D.C.: The White House. December 23, 2021. Retrieved April 11, 2023.
  27. "Myrna Pérez, Mark Muntzel". The New York Times. 2007-10-07. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-06-15.
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