Governor Baker Nominates Mark J. Pasquariello to the Pittsfield District Court

Governor Baker Nominates Mark J. Pasquariello to the Pittsfield District Court

BOSTON – Governor Charlie Baker has nominated Mark J. Pasquariello, a dedicated attorney with diverse experience and trial skills, to serve as a judge in the Pittsfield District Court.

“I am pleased to nominate Mark Pasquariello,  a well-respected Western Massachusetts attorney with both criminal and civil experience for the Governor’s Council consideration,” said Governor Charlie Baker. “I am confident that if confirmed that he will approach the wide variety of cases that will come before him in a fair and balanced manner.”

“Mark Pasquariello’s twenty-six years of diverse experience and dedication to the law will make him an outstanding addition to the Pittsfield District Court, if confirmed by the Council,” said Lieutenant Governor Karyn Polito. “He is an attorney who has earned the respect of his peers, the bench and the bar and I am confident that he will serve the citizens of the Commonwealth well.”

There are 62 District Courts throughout the Commonwealth hearing a range of criminal, civil, housing, juvenile, mental health and other case types, including all felonies punishable by a sentence up to five years, misdemeanors and violations of city and town ordinances and by-laws.

For more information about the District Court, visit http://www.mass.gov/courts/court-info/trial-court/dc/.

Judicial nominations are subject to the advice and consent of the Governor’s Council. Applicants for judicial openings are reviewed by the Judicial Nominating Commission (JNC) and recommended to the governor. Governor Baker established the JNC in February, 2015 pursuant to Executive Order 558, a non-partisan, non-political Commission composed of volunteers from a cross-section of the Commonwealth's diverse population to screen judicial applications. Twenty-one members were later appointed to the JNC in April, 2015.

About Mark J. Pasquariello

Mark J. Pasquariello has been a solo practitioner in Adams, MA since 1997, specializing in criminal defense, guardianship and conservatorship matters, mental health litigation, real estate and probate of estates. Mr. Pasquariello was previously an associate with Grinnell & Dubendorf in Williamstown handling domestic relations matters, criminal trials, and general civil litigation.  Before private practice, Mr. Pasquariello served in the public sector as a clerk to United States Federal District Court Judge Frank Freedman in Springfield and Penobscot County Superior Court Judge Eugene Beaulieu in Maine, and an Assistant Berkshire County District Attorney. During law school Mr Pasquariello served as a law clerk to Assistant U.S. Attorneys R. Jeffrey Behm and Sandra A. Strempel in Vermont and U.S Federal District Court Chief Justice Shane Devine in New Hampshire. Mr. Pasquariello graduated from Vanderbilt University in 1985 with a Bachelor of Engineering in Mechanical and Materials Engineering and received his juris doctorate from Vermont Law School in 1989.  He lives in Windsor, MA with his wife, Julia Allan.  They have two children.

臺灣國立澎湖科技大學徵求新任校長

臺灣國立澎湖科技大學徵求新任校長

位於臺灣海峽的澎湖縣由90座島嶼組成，開發較臺灣早約四百年，擁有歷史悠久的人文古蹟。澎湖群島遍布玄武岩地質景觀，清澈海灣及氣候，使澎湖成為國際風帆船選手年度巡迴必經之地。成立於1991年的國立澎湖科技大學，以當地豐富之天然海洋與風力資源為基礎，致力於海洋科技、綠能技術、航運管理、行銷物流、以及海洋運動之教育發展，期培養具國際觀之海洋產業人才。

該校現正公開徵求新任校長人選。校長任期為4年1任，應具備行政領導與溝通協調能力、擁有辦學治校理念、公認的學術成就與專業聲望、以及處事公正且能超越政治、宗教、黨派等營利單位等利益。候選人推薦截止日期為2017年3月1日。

有關新任校長遴選辦法、候選人資料表及相關資訊，請至國立澎湖科技大學「新任校長遴選」專區查看 www.npu.edu.tw/news/index.asp?m=9&m1=14&m2=346。聯絡人：杜碧文小姐，電話：886-6-9264115轉1502，E-mail：krys2007@gms.npu.edu.tw。

MAYOR WALSH APPOINTS DIVERSITY OUTREACH DIRECTOR

MAYOR WALSH APPOINTS DIVERSITY OUTREACH DIRECTOR TO ADVANCE CITY'S DIVERSITY AGENDA IN PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SECTORS

Expansion of the Office of Diversity will advance city's diversity goals

BOSTON - Wednesday, January 11, 2017 - Mayor Martin J. Walsh today announced the appointment of Tania Del Rio as Diversity Outreach Director, a new role created to ensure the city's strategic plan for diversity is implemented throughout the City of Boston. Tania joins Chief Diversity Officer Danielson Tavares in advancing the Mayor's goals of increasing diversity across Boston's workforce and ensuring that City government is reflective of its people. "Tania is a skilled professional who brings a wealth of knowledge and experience in working with both public and private sector entities to this role, and I am excited to have her on board as the Diversity Outreach Director," said Mayor Walsh. "I'm proud of the steps we've taken and the progress we've made to make sure the city's workforce is reflective of the city itself, and I am confident that Tania's expertise will help bring us one step closer towards achieving our diversity goals." As the Diversity Outreach Director, Tania will be responsible for outreach and recruitment efforts to the community at large to promote diversity in Boston; developing and maintaining relationships with businesses, nonprofits, educational and religious organizations; compiling, tracking and reviewing diversity statistics; and serving as a point of contact for both internal and external audiences in regards to their hiring and recruitment efforts.  "I'm tremendously excited to join the City of Boston and the Mayor's effort to make opportunities equally available for people from all demographic groups, and to ensure that our workforce can reflect Boston's richly diverse population," said Del Rio. "It is a mission that I deeply care about and hope to make much progress towards in this new role." Prior to joining the City's Office of Diversity, Tania Del Rio served as the Head of the Protection and Community Affairs Departments at the Consulate of Mexico in Boston. In that role, she focused on ensuring the rights of immigrants in New England were protected, and collaborated with community leaders to amplify their advocacy efforts. This work put her in contact with people from a broad range of experiences, including prison populations, children and youth, faith-based and cultural organizations, as well as private sector partners. She also worked with the Mexican Ministry of Foreign Affairs on using data to produce a diagnostic and recommendations for increasing gender diversity in the Foreign Service. Tania holds a Master in Public Policy degree from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government and a Bachelor of Arts from New York University. She currently resides in East Boston with her family. The City of Boston's Office of Diversity is committed to ensuring a diverse government workforce in order to more effectively provide services to every neighborhood, resident and business owner. Today's announcement builds on Mayor Walsh's commitment to increasing diversity in our city's workforce. Mayor Walsh first announced the Office of Diversity in December 2014 to lead the Mayor's diversity agenda, including the ongoing development and delivery of the City's diversity goals and objectives in the areas of hiring, leadership and career development, diversity training, strategic planning, recruitment and retention. Since that time, under the leadership of Mayor Walsh, the city has published diversity data online for the first time, brought on 44% people of color out of full-time new hires, appointed the most diverse command staff in the Boston Police Department in history, reinstated the BPD Cadet Program to hire a more diverse pool of candidates; and worked to ensure that minority and women-owned small businesses are afforded fair and equitable opportunities when competing for city contracts. To find out more information about the Mayor's Office of Diversity, please visit here.

Massachusetts Awarded $2 Million to Improve Career Education

Massachusetts Awarded $2 Million to Improve Career Education

Commonwealth among recipients of New Skills for Youth grant from

JPMorgan Chase and CCSSO

BOSTON – The Baker-Polito Administration announced today that the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) and JPMorgan Chase & Co. have selected Massachusetts as one of 10 states to receive a $1.95 million grant to strengthen and expand high-quality career-education pathways for students.

The grant, which will be distributed over the next three years, is part of the $75 million, five-year New Skills for Youth initiative developed by JPMorgan Chase in collaboration with CCSSO and Advance CTE and aims to strengthen career-focused education starting in high school and ending with postsecondary degrees and/or industry-recognized credentials aligned with high-skill jobs.

"Our administration has focused on aligning our K-12 schools and higher education system with the needs of our workforce so that our students, employers, and communities will share a stronger future," said Governor Charlie Baker. "Lieutenant Governor Polito and I are honored that Massachusetts and the potential of our students will be recognized through this grant." 

"We thank JPMorgan, the Council of Chief State School Officers and other partners who have helped make this grant award possible," said Lieutenant Governor Karyn Polito. "This New Skills for Youth grant complements our administration's prioritization of STEM-focused career education by developing more high-quality pathway programs and expanding the number of students who graduate from high school with college credits and real world experience."

"This important grant opportunity comes at an optimal time for the Commonwealth and perfectly aligns with our administration's career and technical education priorities for Massachusetts in this and coming years," said Secretary of Education Jim Peyser. "Creating high-quality career pathways will not only offer our students and their families more opportunities to succeed in school and in their careers, but also help strengthen the Massachusetts economy."

"Constant changes in technology and globalization make it imperative for the Commonwealth to increase opportunities for skill acquisition for all our students,"Secretary of Labor and Workforce Development Ronald L. Walker, II, said. "This grant will help us continue the work of creating effective career on-ramps for younger workers through education pathways."

"I am thrilled that Massachusetts students will be among the beneficiaries of this grant," said Massachusetts Elementary and Secondary Education Commissioner Mitchell Chester. "I look forward to continuing our collaboration with educators and industry to set students on a clear path toward their own career goals."

"This grant will have enormous impact for some of our neediest students," said Higher Education Commissioner Carlos E. Santiago. "We owe it to them to make sure that career exposure and training is integrated into a robust curriculum that will give them what every employer demands – a full box of workplace-ready tools, including quantitative reasoning skills, critical thinking skills, and the ability to write well, to work as part of a team and to lead."

Massachusetts has received the grant from CCSSO for the New Skills for Youth initiative after a rigorous review process, which included examination of the state's plan to transform the process of designing and developing career preparedness education programs.

This includes:

•                     Launching a major competitive grant program to fund the creation of high-quality career pathways that fully prepare students for high-skill, high-wage careers; 

•                     Developing a comprehensive career advisement system in partnership with the Massachusetts School Counselors Association so that all students can make more informed college and career choices; and

•                     Creating clear guidelines to help high schools develop and implement high-quality career pathways that will better prepare students for success after graduation.

"Preparing our youth for high-quality and in-demand careers is critical to the future strength of our communities," said Rick MacDonald, head of commercial banking in New England for JPMorgan Chase. "This investment will help to open more career pathways and give more young people the chance to learn, compete, and succeed." 

"Bunker Hill Community College is committed to creating clear pathways to fulfilling careers for our students," said Bunker Hill Community College President Pam Eddinger, whose institution participated on the state team applying for the grant."This grant will allow us to continue this important work through our partnerships with local businesses and corporations and well as high schools."

"As an employer, I know how critical career-focused education is, and it has been exciting to be part of the team pursuing this grant," said Susan Coghlin Mailman, president of Coghlin Electric Contractors, Inc. "I appreciate the coordinated effort that our state is putting forth in order to strengthen opportunities for our youth which will ultimately create a stronger and more qualified work force."

In March 2016, JPMorgan Chase and CCSSO awarded Massachusetts a $100,000 grant as part of the first phase of the New Skills for Youth initiative for planning and early implementation of long-term career readiness education programs that align with the needs of employers. Twenty-four states and the District of Columbia received Phase I grants.

The grant awarded today represents the second phase of the New Skills for Youth initiative, which provides 10 of the original 24 recipients with funding to execute the career-readiness plans they developed during the first phase. 

聯邦眾議員劉雲平獲任命為眾議院司法委員會委員

REP. LIEU STATEMENT ON APPOINTMENT TO HOUSE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE

Washington – Today, Congressman Ted W. Lieu (D | Los Angeles County) issued the following statement regarding his appointment to the House Judiciary Committee in the 115th Congress.  In the 114th Congress, Mr. Lieu was a leading voice on immigration reform, civil liberties, internet security, criminal justice reform, and encryption.

“I am honored by the opportunity to serve on the House Judiciary Committee.  As a former prosecutor, one of only a handful of immigrants serving in Congress, and the only Democrat with a computer science degree, I hope I can bring a unique perspective to the committee charged with overseeing our nation’s administration of law and justice.  The Judiciary Committee was my first choice because of the numerous critical issues over which the Committee has jurisdiction, such as immigration, civil liberties, criminal justice reform, privacy, and encryption.” 

“The Judiciary Committee takes on exceptional importance given the prior statements of Trump--who lost the popular vote--in which he advocated for a Muslim-American registry as well as the deportation of millions of people, which would include children, high school, and college students who are undocumented.  I will fight like hell on the Judiciary Committee to stop all unconstitutional, discriminatory and stupid ideas by our next President."

章雨亭音樂會1/21

中華藝術表演基金會將於2017年1月21日星期六晚上八點於新英格蘭音樂學院喬登廳(Jordan Hall)舉辦由大提琴家章雨亭和美國鋼琴家亞當·尼曼(Adam Neiman)共同演出的一場音樂會。

大提琴家章雨亭是被國際公認為當代最優秀的演奏家之一，在世界樂界享有盛名。他曾穫Avery Fisher 及MEF成就獎。是第九屆柴可夫司基大提琴大賽銅牌獎主。章雨亭在2009年公共廣播公司的演出獲得2010年格萊美提名。

章雨亭出生在密西根州，八歲進入茱莉亞音樂學院。十一歲時就與名指揮祖賓梅塔Zubin Mehta合作，與紐約愛樂交響樂團演出。該場演出由CBS電視台在現場作全球實況轉播。他是有史以來獲得Gregor Piatigorsky紀念獎的最年輕的大提琴家，也是有史以來最年輕獲得國際藝術家獎的。他是哈佛的畢業生及耶魯大學的音樂碩士。 現任教於德州大學Austin分校，榮穫德州最佳教師獎。被奧斯汀評論界評為“年度最佳演奏家”。他還擔任印第安納大學客座教授。被美國網路CultureFinder喻為“一週之星”。在網上大提琴會裡被喻為“本月之藝術家”，也出現在”21世紀大提琴家”一書中。

章雨亭曾與Pamela Frank，Jaime Laredo，林昭亮，Anne Akiko Meyers,，竹澤恭子，Michael Tree，馬友友，Gary Karr和Leon Fleisher合作演出。他是波士頓室內樂協會的常客，常出現在布魯克林室內樂協會，達拉斯國際室內樂等等，也在各地藝術節、音樂節中演出。他擔任科羅拉多州勞雷爾Laurel 藝術節藝術總監有十年之久。章雨亭常與知名交響樂團合作擔任獨奏; 如紐約，莫斯科，香港，美國國家，太平洋及台灣交響樂團等。最近他與祖賓梅塔和芝加哥交響樂團演出獨奏，在洛杉磯與好萊塢樂團合作。他還與Leon Botstein與美國交響樂團在紐約Avery Fisher音樂廳首演埃內斯庫交響曲Enescu Symphonie Concertante,在亞特蘭大首演譚盾的大提琴協奏曲臥虎藏龍，在波士頓首演Noam David Elkies為他所寫大提琴協奏曲。

章雨亭發行多張唱片其中包括2010年由Artek發行，他和鋼琴家Anton Nel在喬登廳音樂會的現場錄音。他的專輯還包括Kodaly大提琴獨奏作品以及一套完整的巴赫無伴奏大提琴作品。他先後在奧斯汀及西雅圖一場同時演奏六個巴哈組曲。此外他和鋼琴家Anton Nel在卡內基及波士頓喬登廳，演奏了完整的貝多芬大提琴和鋼琴作品，由WGBH錄製Artek發行。2011年，他與指揮家阿巴多Abbado和聖保羅室內樂團合作錄製個人專輯，與鋼琴家Leon Fleisher聯合演奏會，以及到香港為當代舞蹈團獨奏巴赫曲目。

鋼琴家亞當·尼曼（Adam Neiman）被譽為是當代首屈一指的鋼琴家，樂評們讚賞他的琴藝施展出一種罕見的力量和想像力，是靈敏和精確的配合。兩次獲得Juilliard的Gina Bachauer國際鋼琴比賽冠軍和魯賓斯坦大賽金牌，及Avery Fisher成就獎。

尼曼 11歲時在洛杉磯羅伊士音樂廳首次亮相，吸引了觀眾和評論家的關注。在成長的歲月中他得獎無數。1995年他成為吉爾莫青年藝術家獎（Gilmore Young Artist Award）最年輕的獲獎者。華盛頓郵報說“集蕭邦的華爾茲和夜曲，Prokofieff的第二奏鳴曲，他的音樂抒發了內在聲音，顯示出一個歷練藝術家的智慧和光彩“ 。青年音樂會藝術家協會頒予他Michaels獎，並安排他在紐約林肯中心演出。

尼曼的獨奏備受好評，常在美國，加拿大和歐洲的主要音樂廳演出。他常與世界著名的樂團和指揮家合作演出。他的獨奏專輯“亞當尼曼現場獨奏”，被選為2007年和2008年美國唱片指南樂評家的最佳選擇。他的首張唱片，以及他在東京的Suntory Hall的現場獨奏最近被重新發行。他還於2015年發行一個完整的Rachmaninoff Preludes和Études組成的碟盤。以及他在洛杉磯現場演出錄製的DVD發行。尼曼的演出在國際電台和電視有定期廣播。他在NPR的“今日表演”現場的演出被格萊美獎提名為特色藝術家。

多次與PBS的合作開展出他對作曲的的熱愛：他寫的譜子“寬恕：愛和恨的時候” 由艾美獎導演惠特尼在2010發表在PBS的影片上。他的一些室內作品已經在西雅圖室內樂音樂節，紐約市的Poisson Rouge和墨西哥的Cervantinos節首映。2012年，他的弦樂四重奏在西雅圖室內樂節世界首演，他目前正在完成他的第二個交響曲。尼曼是羅斯福大學芝加哥表演藝術學院鋼琴教授。他固定在佛蒙特州的曼徹斯特夏季音樂節，韓國的大山音樂節授課。他經常被邀請在各種比賽中當為裁判。

當晚節目有:

DOHNÁNYI：降B大調奏鳴曲作品第 8 ，大提琴和鋼琴協奏曲

BRITTEN：C大調奏鳴曲作品第 65，大提琴和鋼琴協奏曲

GRIEG：A小調奏鳴曲作品第 36 ，大提琴和鋼琴協奏曲

音樂會門票分為$50 (貴賓保留區、可預先指定座位)及$30(不對號自由入座)兩種 ,學生票$15 (不對號自由座區) 。六歲以下兒童請勿入場 。購票:喬登廳票房: 617-585-1260。

網站購票: http://www.ChinesePerformingArts.net 無手續費 。

提供100張免費學生票 (14歲以上 , 每人一張) 請上贈票網頁索票 。

查詢: 中華表演藝術基金會會⻑譚嘉陵, 電話: 781-259-8195,

Email: Foundation@ChinesePerformingArts.net (原刊於12/20/2016)

聯邦眾議員劉雲平獲指派為民主黨團助理黨鞭

REP. LIEU STATEMENT ON APPOINTMENT AS ASSISTANT WHIP

Washington – Today, Congressman Ted W. Lieu (D | Los Angeles County) issued the following statement regarding his appointment as an Assistant Whip for the Democratic Caucus in the 115th Congress. In the 114th Congress, Mr. Lieu served as the President of the Freshman Class of Democrats.

Upon his appointment, Mr. Lieu made the following statement:

“I am truly honored by the opportunity to serve as an Assistant Whip for House Democrats.  I look forward to working with Whip Hoyer, Leader Pelosi and my fellow House Democrats to push back against any and all attempts by House Republicans to enact special-interest-driven plans to repeal Obamacare, slash Social Security and Medicare, gut environmental regulations, and undermine our civil liberties.”

“My fellow Democrats and I will be working on innovative policy solutions that protect and expand the wellness, economic prosperity, and freedom of each and every member of the American Family.”

Upon Mr. Lieu’s appointment, House Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer made the following statement:

“I’m pleased to welcome Rep. Ted Lieu to my whip team for the 115thCongress.  Since coming to Washington, he’s worked hard to represent the people of California’s 33rd District by standing up for the core Democratic principles of equal justice, equal opportunity, and a more accountable and transparent government.  As a veteran, he’s worked to make our nation safer and meet America’s commitment to those who wore the uniform of our country.  I look forward to working with him in our whip operation to advance House Democrats’ agenda of expanding jobs and opportunity and meeting our national security challenges.”

Tri-Caucus Leadership Opposes Nomination of Senator Jeff Sessions for Attorney General

Tri-Caucus Leadership Opposes Nomination of Senator Jeff Sessions for Attorney General

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Yesterday, the Congressional Tri-Caucus – which is composed of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC), the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC), and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) – sent a letter to the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee opposing the nomination of  Alabama Senator Jeff Sessions for Attorney General. The Chairs of the Congressional Tri-Caucus released the following statements:

“The Tri-Caucus is deeply concerned by the nomination and potential confirmation of Alabama Senator Jeff Sessions for Attorney General,” said CAPAC Chairwoman Judy Chu (CA-27). “The U.S. Attorney General plays a critical role in protecting the civil rights of all Americans. Unfortunately, Senator Sessions has consistently opposed issues that are important to the communities of color that we represent – from supporting anti-immigrant legislation to opposing voting rights, Senator Sessions has a disturbing record that makes him unfit to serve as our nation’s chief law enforcement officer. I join my Tri-Caucus colleagues in urging the Senate to oppose his nomination.”

“It is important for us to speak with one voice in our opposition to the nomination of Sen. Sessions,” said CBC Chairman Cedric Richmond (LA-02). “His comments and his record indicate that his enforcement of the law or lack thereof would have a negative impact on communities of color. The Tri-Caucus will always stand together to protect the people we represent.”

“Senator Sessions isn't qualified to lead the federal law enforcement agency charged with protecting the civil rights of all Americans, given his views about minorities and immigrant families," said CHC Chairwoman Michelle Lujan Grisham (NM-01). “More than 1,400 law school professors from across the nation have opposed his nomination because they believe Sessions ‘will not fairly enforce our nation’s laws and promote justice and equality in the United States.’ When you have fundamental disagreements with anti-discrimination laws, you are not qualified to uphold those laws that are intended to protect all people.”

The text of the letter is available below:

Dear Chairman Grassley and Ranking Member Leahy:

As the Chairs of the Congressional Tri-Caucus – composed of the Congressional Black Caucus, the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus – we write to express our deep concerns about the nomination and possible confirmation of Senator Jeff Sessions to serve as the 84thAttorney General of the United States. Senator Sessions has an alarming record that is of great concern to the communities of color we represent, from his views on race issues to his resistance towards improving our broken immigration system and restoring the right to vote. 

In 1986, President Reagan nominated Sessions, then a young U.S. attorney from Mobile, Alabama, as a U.S. District Judge for the Southern District of Alabama. Due to serious concerns regarding his insensitivity on issues of race, Sessions ultimately became only the second nominee in 50 years to be rejected by the Senate Judiciary Committee. Despite the fact that a Republican-controlled Judiciary Committee deemed Sessions too regressive on issues of race and civil rights to serve as a district court judge, President-elect Trump has nominated  Sessions to serve as Attorney General. The nomination of Sessions as the top law enforcement official in the country makes it clear that the concerns expressed by communities of color have not been heard.

Throughout his decades-long career in public service, Senator Sessions has found himself on the wrong side of countless issues that are vital to the well-being of the people and communities we represent. He has opposed essential components of the Voting Rights Act. He has served as an obstacle to criminal justice reform and a vocal proponent of the disastrous War on Drugs. He has also led the charge to deny equitable funding to public schools in Alabama, and demonstrated his resistance to advancing LGBTQ rights and women’s rights by opposing the repeal of “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” as well as efforts to ensure that women receive equal pay for equal work. He has opposed both our current legal immigration laws and efforts to reform our broken immigration system. On immigration, Senator Sessions does not only support a ban on Muslim immigrants, but opposes even our legal immigration system. He has implied that Syrian refugees fleeing war are “terrorists”, and has also attacked policies that support limited English proficient Americans. Even more concerning is the fact that Sessions does not even believe in upholding the concept of birthright citizenship, which is ingrained in our 14th Amendment. 

As Senator Sessions moves through the confirmation process, much will be made of his track record on issues of justice, equality, and civil rights. Many will debate the question of whether Sessions is or is not a racist.  While this is a very important question that warrants consideration, it is ultimately a question for which there will be no definitive answer.  What can be said definitively is that Senator Sessions, in a career spanning more than three decades in public service, has advocated for and in some cases implemented policies that are in direct conflict with the values of the Congressional Tri-Caucus, its members, and the people we represent. There is no doubt that Senator Jeff Sessions is unfit to lead a department he has long railed against, and that he will advance an agenda that will do great harm to citizens, immigrant communities, and people of color. We strongly urge the Senate Judiciary Committee to vote no on his nomination and instead advance an Attorney General who champions civil rights protections for all Americans.

Sincerely,

CEDRIC RICHMOND Member of Congress Chair, Congressional Black Caucus

JUDY CHU Member of Congress Chair, Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus

MICHELLE LUJAN GRISHAM Member of Congress Chair, Congressional Hispanic Caucus