With Prominent Hires, Demand Justice Builds Out Government Relations Team As It Prepares For Judicial Nominations And Court Reform Fights Ahead
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
OCTOBER 2, 2024
CONTACT: [email protected]
Washington, DC– Today, Demand Justice announced the addition of three key hires in expanding its policy and government affairs footprint as it eyes long fights ahead on judicial nominations and federal court reform. Jen Ahearn, who most recently served as senior counsel in the Brennan Center’s Judiciary Program, has joined Demand Justice as Counsel and Senior Director of Engagement. Tishan Weerasooriya, a veteran of many judicial confirmation battles, joined Demand Justice as Director of Government Affairs from his most recent post at Stand Up America. Tom Wright, who most recently worked on nominations and vacancies for the American Constitution Society, has taken the role of Director of Courts Policy and Legal Analysis at Demand Justice. Ahearn and Wright earned their law degrees from Duke University and University of Missouri, respectively.
The hires are the latest in a series of steps Demand Justice is taking to continue to lead and advance the movement for courts that serve and reflect the American people.
“Public trust in the Supreme Court remains at historic lows as the Court’s far-right majority continues to dismantle our rights while exhibiting alarmingly politicized behavior. As momentum for court reform is accelerating and the American people are calling on their leaders to fix this crisis, we are thrilled to welcome Jen, Tishan, and Tom to Demand Justice as we continue our push for real, lasting change,” Demand Justice Managing Director Maggie Jo Buchanan said of the hires.
Buchanan was hired earlier this year after most recently serving as the Center for American Progress’s Senior Legal Fellow and Senior Director of the Women’s Initiative. She earned her law degree from the University of Texas.
Founded in 2018, Demand Justice has been on the forefront of exposing corruption in the courts, calling on Congress to enact needed reforms, and promoting professional diversity in our judiciary in both state and federal courts. This summer–in a historic move that has only happened one other time this century–President Biden outlined a plan to reform the US Supreme Court to address a series of ethical lapses. Last month, Vice President Kamala Harris also called for reforms as part of her campaign platform. These historic moves come on the heels of growing calls from members of Congress to reform our courts and major mobilization efforts led by Demand Justice.
“As American democracy and the protection of our freedoms remains at an inflection point, the American people deserve courts that advance justice and serve all people. Demand Justice will continue to expand its capacity to achieve that goal and Jen, Tishan, and Tom’s experience will be a critical part of this next chapter,” said Skye Perryman, who serves as a Senior Advisor to the organization.
To learn more about Demand Justice, visit demandjustice.org.
Biographies
Jennifer Ahearn is Demand Justice’s Counsel and Senior Director of Engagement. She was previously a senior counsel in the Brennan Center’s Judiciary Program, working to ensure that federal courts effectively play their critical role in our democracy. Prior to joining the Brennan Center, she was Policy Director at Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), where she led a team focused on government ethics and accountability, reducing the negative impacts of money in politics, increasing government transparency, and promoting the rule of law. Ahearn spent the first decade of her legal career working for the federal judiciary, first as law clerk to the Hon. Thomas B. Russell in the United States District Court for the Western District of Kentucky, and then in the Office of General Counsel at the United States Sentencing Commission.
Tishan Weerasooriya is Demand Justice’s Director of Government Affairs. He previously worked at Stand Up America, where he worked with Members of Congress and partners to advance Supreme Court reform as well as state and federal legislation to expand voting rights and strengthen our democracy. Before that, he worked in Sierra Club’s Democracy Program, working directly with Members of Congress and partners to pass the Freedom to Vote Act, John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act and reform the filibuster. He also worked to confirm several judicial nominees, including Judge Nancy Abudu (11th Circuit), Judge Dale Ho (SDNY) and Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson among others.
Tom Wright is Demand Justice’s Director of Courts Policy and Legal Analysis. He joined Demand Justice from theAmerican Constitution Society where he managed ACS’s work concerning judicial nominations, strengthened the ACS legal professional pipeline, and helped grow ACS’s Path to the Bench Project.
These hires follow Skye Perryman joining Demand Justice as Senior Advisor to the Board in February of this year. In addition, long-time Demand Justice staff members LaNita King and Rachel Waldron took on new senior leadership positions as the organization’s Senior Director of Programs and Senior Director of Operations, respectively.
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