Senate Judiciary Committee reviews of nominations to the Supreme Court of the United States

Cancer Victims Support Sen. Richard Blumenthal in Urging Johnson & Johnson to Accept Responsibility

Retrieved on: 
Monday, October 30, 2023

At a recent news conference, Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., flanked by ovarian cancer victims Lynn Skoda and Joan Kiley, sharply criticized Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ) for its role in the spread of cancer through its talcum powder products.

Key Points: 
  • At a recent news conference, Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., flanked by ovarian cancer victims Lynn Skoda and Joan Kiley, sharply criticized Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ) for its role in the spread of cancer through its talcum powder products.
  • Ms. Kiley conveyed her emotional story, holding a photograph of her loved ones taken during her chemotherapy for ovarian cancer.
  • Her account emphasized the broad impact of Johnson & Johnson's alleged negligence, highlighting the collective suffering of many families.
  • Blumenthal is part of a growing chorus of concerned lawmakers challenging Johnson & Johnson to rise to the occasion,” said Mr. Birchfield.

Bodensteiner to Provide Expert Witness Testimony to Senate Committee

Retrieved on: 
Monday, October 16, 2023

PHILADELPHIA, Oct. 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary announced Jill Bodensteiner, JD, MBA, vice president and director of athletics at Saint Joseph's University, will serve as an expert witness at the Committee's hearing on Name, Image and Likeness and the Future of College Sports on Oct. 17.

Key Points: 
  • On Oct. 17, Saint Joseph's Vice President and Director of Athletics, Jill Bodensteiner, JD, MBA, will serve as an expert witness at the U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary hearing on Name, Image and Likeness and the Future of College Sports.
  • PHILADELPHIA, Oct. 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary announced Jill Bodensteiner, JD, MBA , vice president and director of athletics at Saint Joseph's University, will serve as an expert witness at the Committee's hearing on Name, Image and Likeness and the Future of College Sports on Oct. 17.
  • The NCAA has tapped Bodensteiner to serve on numerous committees and working groups related to name, image and likeness.
  • Bodensteiner's testimony, along with other witnesses, will be streamed live on the Judiciary Committee's website.

Statement by U.S. Conference of Mayors on Passing of Senator Dianne Feinstein

Retrieved on: 
Friday, September 29, 2023

WASHINGTON, Sept. 29, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Below is a statement by U.S. Conference of Mayors CEO and Executive Director Tom Cochran on the passing of Senator Dianne Feinstein.

Key Points: 
  • WASHINGTON, Sept. 29, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Below is a statement by U.S. Conference of Mayors CEO and Executive Director Tom Cochran on the passing of Senator Dianne Feinstein.
  • Senator Feinstein was a member of the U.S. Conference of Mayors during her tenure as Mayor of San Francisco (1978 – 1988).
  • "Today we remember 'Mayor' Senator Dianne Feinstein.
  • "In 2013, Senator Feinstein stood up again to renew the ban — and the U.S. Conference of Mayors stood beside her.

News/Media Alliance Names Neil Quinter Chief Lobbyist as Public Policy and Advocacy Team Expands

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, September 21, 2023

ARLINGTON, Va., Sept. 21, 2023 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- The News/Media Alliance has expanded its public policy team, with a final key role being filled today with the hiring of Neil Quinter as its new Senior Vice President, Global Government Affairs. In this role, Quinter will work closely with the Alliance leadership team and staff to lead key legislative initiatives for the Alliance.

Key Points: 
  • In this role, Quinter will work closely with the Alliance leadership team and staff to lead key legislative initiatives for the Alliance.
  • Prior to joining the Alliance, Quinter served as Chief Counsel to U.S.
  • "I'm very excited to welcome Neil to the Alliance team," said Alliance President and CEO, Danielle Coffey.
  • Prior to joining the Alliance, she was Head of Public Policy in Spotify's government affairs group, where she led global policy development and advocacy related to intellectual property and music policy.

Cancer Victims Applaud Senate Judiciary Committee Probe into Corporate Manipulation of Chapter 11 Bankruptcy

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, September 19, 2023

WASHINGTON, Sept. 19, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Johnson & Johnson's discredited "Texas two-step" bankruptcy efforts came under fire today from witnesses and members of the Senate Judiciary Committee chaired by Sen. Dick Durbin.

Key Points: 
  • Sen. Hawley told Haas, "Your company panics and what you do is you then decide, 'Oh my gosh, we can't possibly do this.
  • It forces victims who may be suffering fatal progressive diseases to endure protracted bankruptcy proceedings, robbing them of "precious time."
  • An appellate court and a bankruptcy judge have twice dismissed J&J's bankruptcy maneuvers, finding that they were filed in bad faith.
  • After a long delay caused by the bankruptcy litigation, attorneys for plaintiffs are gearing up to renew trying their cases before juries.

US Congressional Candidate, Nate Cain, Calls on Leaders to Address The Response Failures in Paden City Water Crisis & Provides Solutions

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, September 19, 2023

PADEN CITY, W. Va., Sept. 19, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Nate Cain, Republican Congressional Candidate for West Virginia's 2nd District, calls for a critical review of the leadership's response to the Paden City water crisis. He presents recommendations aimed at strengthening emergency response capabilities. These measures prioritize the delivery of life-sustaining services, not only to benefit communities in West Virginia, but also as a blueprint for averting future crises nationwide. "This must never happen again. There must be ways available to Paden City residents to ensure access to water during a crisis that maintains their standard of living. Not only do they need bottled water that was provided, but they also need water to launder clothes and for daily hygiene, which they did not have access to for a month," Nate Cain emphatically states.

Key Points: 
  • PADEN CITY, W. Va., Sept. 19, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Nate Cain, Republican Congressional Candidate for West Virginia's 2nd District, calls for a critical review of the leadership's response to the Paden City water crisis.
  • There must be ways available to Paden City residents to ensure access to water during a crisis that maintains their standard of living.
  • The crisis in Paden City, which left residents without access to clean water, resulted from a treatment-plant malfunction that released the hazardous solvent tetrachloroethylene into the water supply.
  • He has created a short documentary addressing the Paden City crisis, with the aim of increasing awareness: Hung Out To Dry: https://rumble.com/v3gsofm-hung-out-to-dry.html
    The Paden City water crisis is a matter of significant concern.

Special counsels, like the one leading the Justice Department's investigation of Hunter Biden, are intended to be independent − but they aren't entirely

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, August 31, 2023

On July 26, the plea agreement was challenged by the judge in the case.

Key Points: 
  • On July 26, the plea agreement was challenged by the judge in the case.
  • She wanted to know more about any immunity being offered, given that Hunter Biden is under several federal investigations.
  • From my perspective as a political scientist, I believe that while special counsels are intended to be independent, in practice they aren’t entirely.

Independent and special counsels

    • President Richard Nixon did this during the investigation of the Watergate break-in, which threatened to implicate him in criminal acts.
    • On the evening of Oct. 20, 1973, Nixon ordered Attorney General Elliot Richardson to fire Archibald Cox, whom Richardson had appointed to lead the Watergate investigation.
    • After passage of this legislation, if the attorney general received “specific information” alleging that the president, vice president or other high-ranking executive branch officials had committed a serious federal offense, the attorney general would ask a special three-judge panel to appoint an independent counsel, who would investigate.
    • That year, then-Attorney General Janet Reno authorized the appointment of special counsels, who could investigate certain sensitive matters, similar to the way independent counsels operated.
    • In 2020, John Durham – another veteran of the Justice Department – was appointed as special counsel to investigate the origins of the investigation that triggered Mueller’s appointment.

Politicizing the process

    • For instance, while special counsels operate independently of the attorney general, both their appointment and the scope of their investigations are determined by the attorney general.
    • In contrast, the appointment of independent counsels and the scope of their investigations were determined by a three-judge panel, which in turn was appointed by the chief justice of the United States.
    • Also, since Congress authorized independent counsels, presidential influence was limited by law.
    • Sessions was later replaced by William Barr, who previously served as attorney general under President George H.W.

To be or not to be free of partisanship

    • The independence of the Justice Department rests, in part, on who occupies the offices of president and attorney general.
    • The second, Robert Hur, is overseeing President Joe Biden’s handling of classified documents after leaving office as vice president in 2017.
    • As a result, the perception of political prosecution can be hard to avoid.
    • This is an updated version of an article published Jan. 13, 2023, which was an updated version of an article originally published Dec. 14, 2022.

U.S. Commission on Civil Rights Announces Commissioner Rochelle M. Garza as Chairperson and Commissioner Victoria F. Nourse as Vice-Chairperson

Retrieved on: 
Friday, July 21, 2023

Marking a milestone for the Commission with Commissioner Garza as the youngest person to serve as Chair.

Key Points: 
  • Marking a milestone for the Commission with Commissioner Garza as the youngest person to serve as Chair.
  • Ms. Garza is an attorney from the Rio Grande Valley currently serving as President of the Texas Civil Rights Project.
  • In 2022, she became the democratic nominee for Texas Attorney General on a platform focused on voting rights, reproductive rights, and government accountability.
  • The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights is the only independent, bipartisan agency charged with advising the President and Congress on civil rights and reporting annually on federal civil rights enforcement.

News/Media Alliance Applauds Senate Judiciary for Passing Bipartisan Journalism Competition and Preservation Act (JCPA)

Retrieved on: 
Friday, June 16, 2023

ARLINGTON, Va., June 15, 2023 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- The Senate Judiciary Committee has favorably voted 14-7 for the bipartisan Journalism Competition and Preservation Act (JCPA) (S. 1094), which would allow digital journalism providers to collectively negotiate with Google and Facebook for fair compensation for use of their valuable content. The tech platforms are the dominant distributors of news content, reaping tremendous financial benefit without compensation to those who create the content. They also capture the majority of U.S. digital ad revenue, leaving local publishers with little to reinvest in the production of high-quality journalism.

Key Points: 
  • The Senate Judiciary Committee has favorably voted 14-7 for the bipartisan Journalism Competition and Preservation Act (JCPA) (S. 1094), which would allow digital journalism providers to collectively negotiate with Google and Facebook for fair compensation for use of their valuable content.
  • ARLINGTON, Va., June 15, 2023 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- The Senate Judiciary Committee has favorably voted 14-7 for the bipartisan Journalism Competition and Preservation Act (JCPA) (S. 1094), which would allow digital journalism providers to collectively negotiate with Google and Facebook for fair compensation for use of their valuable content.
  • They also capture the majority of U.S. digital ad revenue, leaving local publishers with little to reinvest in the production of high-quality journalism.
  • We applaud the Senate Judiciary Committee's passage of this monumental legislation for journalism publishers across our country."

Jasper Advisors, Founded by Julie Andreeff Jensen and David Sutphen, Joins Forces with SKDK

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, May 17, 2023

SKDK, a nationally recognized public affairs and political consulting firm, and part of the growing Stagwell network, today announced it has acquired Jasper Advisors, a c-suite advisory firm, founded by Julie Andreeff Jensen and David Sutphen.

Key Points: 
  • SKDK, a nationally recognized public affairs and political consulting firm, and part of the growing Stagwell network, today announced it has acquired Jasper Advisors, a c-suite advisory firm, founded by Julie Andreeff Jensen and David Sutphen.
  • View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230517005240/en/
    Julie Andreeff Jensen and David Sutphen of Jasper Advisors (Photo: Business Wire)
    "We are thrilled to welcome Jasper Advisors to the SKDK family.
  • Jensen, Founder and Co-CEO added, “joining forces with SKDK is a strategic opportunity to accelerate our vision for Jasper and work with people we trust and respect.
  • “We’re thrilled to embark on this new chapter with Doug and the entire SKDK team.”
    Based in DC, Jasper Advisors was founded in September of 2022.