NCJW supports Rachel Bloomekatz. Here’s why:
Rachel Bloomekatz, currently a solo practitioner at her own Bloomekatz Law LLC, is a widely lauded attorney with broad experience in the field. Ms. Bloomekatz has worked on a variety of issues which could appear before the court, from economic justice, environmental justice, juvenile justice, and public health to First Amendment issues, workers’ rights, and child protection statutes. She has over two decades of litigation experience and has clerked for several federal judges, including US Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer. If confirmed, Ms. Bloomekatz would bring a public interest background and experience representing consumers and workers to the Sixth Circuit.
Rachel Bloomekatz’s stance on important issues:
Gun Safety:
Ms. Bloomekatz often serves as appellate counsel to Everytown Law, the legal branch of Everytown for Gun Safety. She has defended various municipalities’ gun safety ordinances, and has argued successfully before Ohio’s Twelfth District Court of Appeals for parents who challenged their school district’s decision to arm teachers and staff without substantial training.
Voting Rights:
Rachel Bloomekatz has litigated numerous election law and voting rights matters, including winning a victory for seventeen-year-olds’ right to vote in the Ohio presidential primary if they will be eighteen at the time of the general election.
Experience (and Pro Bono Work):
Ms. Bloomekatz holds extensive experience in the legal field, having worked in both the public and private sectors. She clerked for Chief Justice Margaret Marshall of the Massachusetts Supreme Court, Judge Guido Calabresi of the US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, and Justice Stephen Breyer of the US Supreme Court. Prior to founding her own practice, Ms. Bloomekatz was a principal at Gupta Wessler PLLC where she regularly interacted with US Supreme Court cases, and served as lead counsel for successful appeals in the Fourth and Sixth Circuits. She was an associate at Jones Day where she engaged in pro bono work that resulted in the juvenile with the longest sentence in Ohio, winning resentencing on Eighth Amendment grounds before the Supreme Court of Ohio. Earlier in her career, she served as an Assistant Attorney General in Massachusetts. Today, Ms. Bloomekatz argues a range of constitutional issues and complex appeals before state and federal appellate courts, as well as the US Supreme Court.
Education and Awards:
Ms. Bloomekatz earned her BA with honors from Harvard University and her JD from the Epstein Program in Public Interest Law and Policy at UCLA School of Law. While at UCLA, she served as an editor of the UCLA Law Review and the Latino/a Chicano/a Law Review. Ms. Bloomekatz has been widely recognized for her work in the legal field. She was elected to the American Law Institute, named to the 2022 “Future 50” class of Columbus CEO, and received the following awards: Young Progressive Leadership Award from the Columbus Chapter of the American Constitution Society (2017), Children’s Champion Award from the Children’s Defense Fund of Ohio (2016), and the Michael Maggio Memorial Pro Bono Award from the American Immigration Lawyers Association (2015).
Professional Affiliations:
Ms. Bloomekatz serves on the Board of the Columbus Chapter of the Federal Bar Association and the Rules Committee of the US District Court for the Southern District of Ohio. Additionally, she teaches and mentors students at The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law. Ms. Bloomekatz also sits on the Board of Jewish Family Service of Columbus to assist refugees and other underserved groups in central Ohio.