President Obama’s nomination of Dawn Johnsen to serve as the Assistant Attorney General of the Department of Justice’s Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) marks an important landmark in American legal history. Dawn Johnsen has long been a champion of reproductive justice and an ardent supporter of the rights of pregnant women. Since her nomination, she has promised to take the OLC in a dramatically new direction from what it was under the Bush Administration. She is an extraordinary legal scholar, attorney, and women’s rights activist, making her position in the OLC incredibly important for Women’s Law Project supporters. Johnsen is a uniquely qualified candidate, as she already served in the OLC during the Clinton Administration and is an expert on executive power and the role and obligation of the OLC in restricting presidential decisions to their lawful scope.
Her nomination, however, which is expected to be voted on tomorrow, Thursday, March 19, may face some trouble. Opponents in Washington have attacked her strong stance on abortion, threatening this important appointment. We must urge our Senators to confirm Dawn Johnsen for this instrumental position. Please let your senator know that you want her/him to vote to confirm Dawn Johnson by sending a message here.
