Human Rights Lawyer to Serve as White House Advisor on Violence Against Women

In today’s news, Caroline Bettinger-López, Professor at University of Miami School of Law and founder of the school’s Human Rights Clinic, has been appointed as the Obama Administration’s White House Advisor on Violence Against Women (VAW).  Professor Bettinger-Lopez replaces Lynn Rosenthal, a veteran activist who originated the position and served from 2009 to January 2015 as a close advisor to Vice President Biden on VAW issues. 

The announcement of Professor Bettinger-López’s new White House position is the latest in a series of key nominations and appointments of individuals with knowledge of U.S. human rights issues.  As reported in this blog, Attorney General nominee Loretta Lynch served in the U.S. government’s delegation to the CERD Committee’s review in 2014.  Likewise, the acting head of the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice, Vanita Gupta, who previously worked for the NAACP LDEF and the ACLU, has framed her advocacy work in human rights terms.  

Professor Bettinger-López’s human rights experience brings this Administration’s in-house expertise to a new level, as she has long been a leader in the movement to “bring human rights home” to the U.S.  Earlier in her career, she was Deputy Director of the Columbia Law School Human Rights Institute.  While in that capacity, Bettinger-López served as counsel for Jessica Lenahan (formerly Gonzales), a survivor of devastating domestic violence. Represented by Professor Bettinger-López, the Miami clinic, the Columbia Human Rights Institute, the ACLU and the RFK Center, Lenahan initiated proceedings against the U.S. government before the Inter-American Commission after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that her order of protection against her abusive husband was unenforceable (Castle Rock v. Gonzales).  Following the Inter-American Commission’s favorable ruling, Bettinger-López (with Lenahan’s active support) masterminded a nationwide effort — often implemented by law school clinics — to pass local resolutions declaring freedom from VAW as a human right. Within just a few years, dozens of localities have passed such resolutions, setting the stage for ongoing conversations concerning VAW redress, deterrence and enforcement issues as well as human rights norms.

In her new position, Professor Bettinger-López will work closely with Vice President Biden, who has a long-time commitment to these issues.  While in the U.S. Senate, Biden was primary co-sponsor of the groundbreaking Violence Against Women Act of 1994.  Indeed, the position of White House Advisor on Domestic Violence was created by Biden when he took office as a means to elevate attention to VAW.

Coming into the position during the last two years of the Obama Administration, Bettinger-López will have to hit the ground running to make her mark.   Those of us who have worked with her know that if anyone can do it, she can.