Inspirational NAWJ Annual Meeting with the Congressional Women's Caucus

NAWJ held its annual meeting with the Congressional Caucus for Women’s Issues online on September 16. Although an extremely busy time on Capitol Hill, the 75 members who joined Zoom were met with inspirational remarks from Ohio Congresswoman Marcia Fudge and Senator Dianne Feinstein. Following welcome and opening remarks from NAWJ President Judge Bernadette D’Souza and Meeting Co-Chair Judge Toni Clarke, a panel of experts explored “Families in Crisis: The Impact of the Coronavirus Pandemic on Families.”

Esteemed panelists, Chief Judge Anna Blackburne-Rigsby, Judge Cathy Hollenberg Serrette, Professor Deborah Epstein, Supervising Attorney Stephanie Troyer and Managing Attorney Vanessa Batter-Thompson, discussed how the pandemic exacerbates long-standing challenges for those seeking access to justice, debilitating for people already struggling to live under existing inequalities, and the importance for the legal community, who are developing processes to provide access to justice out of necessity, may benefit from further refining how it operates to realize effective accessibility for members of the community.

Thank you to the Meeting Planning Committee NAWJ President Judge Bernadette D’Souza, Co-Chairs Judge Toni Clarke and Chief Judge Anita Josey-Herring, and Judge Tracey Flemings-Davillier and Judge Sandra Cabrina Jenkins. You can listen to a recording of the Meeting here.