The Office of Legislative Affairs is staffing up. Assistant Attorney General Ron Weich, who joined the Justice Department from Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s staff, announced today the addition of two new deputies, Judith Appelbaum and Mark Agrast.
Judy Appelbaum (ACS)
Appelbaum is the latest to come by way of the American Constitution Society, where she had been director of programs since 2006. Appelbaum (UPenn, Stanford Law) will handle civil and civil rights issues, as well as nominations.
More on her background from the DOJ news release:
[Appelbaum] was Vice President and Legal Director at the National Women’s Law Center (NWLC), where she participated in litigation, advocacy, and public education activities in many areas of NWLC’s work, with a particular focus on civil rights and judicial nominations. Before that, she served as Counsel to Sen. Edward Kennedy on his Judiciary Committee staff and his chief advisor on women’s rights issues.
Agrast (Case Western, Yale Law), was senior vice president for domestic policy and later a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress, the liberal think tank founded John Podesta, who was co-chair of President Barack Obama’s transition. He will handle criminal and national security matters in his new position. Agrast has more than a decade of experience on Capitol Hill. He was counsel and legislative director to Rep. William Delahunt (D-Mass.) and a senior aide to the late Rep. Gerry Studds (D-Mass.)
