NCJW opposes Anna St. John. Here’s why:
As head of the Hamilton Legal Law Institute, a far-right legal organization, Anna St. John led lawsuits challenging consumer rights, gender equality, civil rights, and human rights. She testified against bipartisan legislation to end forced arbitration in sexual assault and harassment cases even though it has been proven that such arbitration serves to silence women and deny them the justice they deserve. She claims to be a consumer advocate but in reality she spent years defending big corporations in cases against consumers. As head of the Center for Class Action Fairness, she worked to undermine and attack class actions which are one of the few avenues most people have to challenge corporate wrongdoing. St. John authored numerous briefs against LGBTQ+ individuals. Her record indicates that she would not be unbiased or independent which are the basic criteria to ensure that a nominee would be a fair judge.
Anna St. John’s stance on important issues:
LGBTQ+ Rights
Ms. St. John authored and co-authored numerous amicus briefs against LGBTQ+ rights under the guise of religious freedom in cases such as 303 Creative v. Elenis. In Green v. Miss USA, St. John called for banning transgender women from the Miss USA pageant as it “would infringe upon the pageant’s rights.” Using dehumanizing and misgendered language, St. John has also supported banning transgender women and girls from teams that are consistent with their gender identity.
Civil Rights
Anna St. John filed briefs that argued against schools allowing race to factor into admissions considerations in Fair Admissions v. Harvard. She is also involved in litigation that attacked diversity, equity, and inclusion policies in National Association of Scholars v. United States Department of Energy et al and State of New York et al v. National Science Foundation et al.
Sexual Harassment
Ms. St. John testified against bipartisan legislation to end forced arbitration in sexual assault and harassment cases even though it has been proven that such arbitration serves to silence women and deny them the justice they deserve.
Education and Career Highlights:
Anna St. John earned a BA from Louisiana State University in 2001, an MA from the Columbia University Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, and a JD from the Columbia University School of Law in 2006. In the year after law school, she clerked for Judge Rhesa Barksdale of the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals and then worked from 2007-2014 as an associate at Covington & Burling representing large corporations. Since 2015, Ms. St. John has maintained a law practice and joined the Center for Class Action Fairness as an attorney. Since 2020, Ms. St. John has been President and General Counsel at the Hamilton Lincoln Law Institute.