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Person

Julie Fernandes

Nationality:

American
Occupation:

Associate director for institutional accountability and individual liberty, Rockefeller Family Fund
Political Party:

Democratic Party
Residence:

Chevy Chase, Maryland

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Julie Fernandes is the associate director for institutional accountability and individual liberty at the left-of-center Rockefeller Family Fund 1 2 and a senior visiting fellow at the left-of-center German Marshall Fund of the United States. 3

Previously, Fernandes worked as the director for voting rights and democracy at the left-of-center Open Society Foundations (OSF), the principal grantmaking institution for left-of-center billionaire George Soros. 4 She was a Deputy Assistant Attorney General at the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) in the Obama administration 5 and held various roles during the Clinton administration including Special Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy and counsel to the Assistant Attorney General. 6

Fernandes self-identifies as a “proud liberal Democrat” 7 and has said the Democratic Party does not need to “fight to be the white party” 8 and claims that laws barring felons from voting are “designed to keep black people from voting.” 9

Career

Julie Fernandes has been the associate director for institutional accountability and individual liberty of the Rockefeller Family Fund since June 2018. 10 11 She is also a visiting senior fellow at the left-of-center German Marshall Fund of the United States. 12 Previously she was a senior policy analyst 2012 to 2016  and from 2016 to 2018 director for voting rights and democracy for the left-of-center Open Society Foundations (OSF), 13 which was founded by the liberal billionaire George Soros. She has also worked as senior counsel and senior policy analyst for the left-of-center Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights 14 and received a fellowship from the left-of-center ACLU. 15

From 2009 until 2011, Fernandes was Deputy Assistant Attorney General at the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) in the Obama administration. 16 From 1997 until 2001 she worked in various roles in the Clinton administration 17 including as counsel to the Assistant Attorney General from 1999 until 2001 and Special Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy at the White House from 1997 until 1999. 18

Fernandes is a member of the board of directors for left-of-center organizations including the Washington Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs, Lead for America, Bend the Arc, the American Constitution Society, Ad Council, 19 and the Funders’ Committee for Civic Participation (FCCP). 20

On her LinkedIn page, Fernandes shared a post that says “systemic racism has existed in our country for centuries.” 21 On Twitter, Fernandes has said “the Confederacy has been a theme of the Trump presidency,” 22 supported calls for the resignation of Senators Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Josh Hawley (R-MO), 23 and said the Democratic Party does not need to “fight to be the white party.” 24 She has also said the criminal justice itself “is biased against African Americans and Latinos” and claimed that felony disenfranchisement laws are “designed to keep black people from voting.” 25

Political Positions and Contributions

Julie Fernandes self-identifies as a “proud liberal Democrat.” 26

Julie Fernandes has made Federal Election Commission-reportable contributions to several Democratic Party-affiliated campaigns and committees including the 2020 presidential campaign of Joe Biden, the Senate campaigns of Raphael Warnock (D-GA),  Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ), the left-of-center pass-through ActBlue, the Maryland Democratic Party, Fight Back PAC, Obama for America, and the unsuccessful presidential campaigns of Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) in 2020, Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) in 2016, and Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) in 2004. 27

References

  1. “Julie Fernandes.” LinkedIn. Accessed December 5, 2021. https://www.linkedin.com/in/julie-fernandes-40b7aaa4/details/experience/.
  2. “Julie Fernandes.” National Center for Family Philanthropy. Accessed December 6, 2021. https://www.ncfp.org/people/julie-fernandes/.
  3. “Julie Fernandes.” German Marshall Fund of the United States. Accessed December 6, 2021. https://www.gmfus.org/find-experts/julie-fernandes.
  4. “About.” Rockefeller Family Fund. Accessed December 6, 2021. https://www.rffund.org/about/staff.
  5. “Julie Fernandes.” LinkedIn. Accessed December 5, 2021. https://www.linkedin.com/in/julie-fernandes-40b7aaa4/details/experience/.
  6. “Julie Fernandes.” LinkedIn. Accessed December 5, 2021. https://www.linkedin.com/in/julie-fernandes-40b7aaa4/details/experience/.
  7. “Julie Fernandes, ’94: Building a Career from One Interesting Job to the Next.” University of Chicago Law School. October 1, 2014. Accessed December 6, 2021. https://www.law.uchicago.edu/news/julie-fernandes-94-building-career-one-interesting-job-next.
  8. [1] “Tweet.” Twitter. Posted July 18, 2019. Accessed December 6, 2021. https://twitter.com/JulieAFernandes/status/1151978848940109824?cxt=HHwWgMC1_Zuq0_wfAAAA
  9. “Julie Fernandes on Felony Disenfranchisement.” Loteria Films Vimeo. Uploaded 2016. Accessed December 6, 2021. https://vimeo.com/181973535.
  10. “Julie Fernandes.” LinkedIn. Accessed December 5, 2021. https://www.linkedin.com/in/julie-fernandes-40b7aaa4/details/experience/.
  11. “Julie Fernandes.” National Center for Family Philanthropy. Accessed December 6, 2021. https://www.ncfp.org/people/julie-fernandes/.
  12. “Julie Fernandes.” German Marshall Fund of the United States. Accessed December 6, 2021. https://www.gmfus.org/find-experts/julie-fernandes.
  13. “About.” Rockefeller Family Fund. Accessed December 6, 2021. https://www.rffund.org/about/staff.
  14. “Julie Fernandes.” LinkedIn. Accessed December 5, 2021. https://www.linkedin.com/in/julie-fernandes-40b7aaa4/details/experience/.
  15. “Julie Fernandes, ’94: Building a Career from One Interesting Job to the Next.” University of Chicago Law School. October 1, 2014. Accessed December 6, 2021. https://www.law.uchicago.edu/news/julie-fernandes-94-building-career-one-interesting-job-next.
  16. “Julie Fernandes.” LinkedIn. Accessed December 5, 2021. https://www.linkedin.com/in/julie-fernandes-40b7aaa4/details/experience/.
  17. “Julie Fernandes.” LinkedIn. Accessed December 5, 2021. https://www.linkedin.com/in/julie-fernandes-40b7aaa4/details/experience/.
  18. “Julie Fernandes.” LinkedIn. Accessed December 5, 2021. https://www.linkedin.com/in/julie-fernandes-40b7aaa4/details/experience/.
  19. “Julie Fernandes.” LinkedIn. Accessed December 5, 2021. https://www.linkedin.com/in/julie-fernandes-40b7aaa4/details/experience/.
  20. “Julie Fernandes.” Funders’ Committee for Civic Participation. Accessed December 6, 2021. https://funderscommittee.org/staff-board/julie-fernandes/.
  21. “LinkedIn Post.” Julie Fernandes LinkedIn. Accessed December 5, 2021. https://www.linkedin.com/posts/julie-fernandes-40b7aaa4_its-time-for-all-americans-to-recognize-activity-6681301594715283456-8USn/.
  22. “Tweet.” Twitter. Posted January 20, 2021. Accessed December 6, 2021. https://twitter.com/JulieAFernandes/status/1351946694867480582?cxt=HHwWjMC37eSWisMlAAAA.
  23. “Tweet.” Twitter. Posted January 8, 2021. Accessed December 6, 2021. https://twitter.com/JulieAFernandes/status/1347746354106400775?cxt=HHwWjoC4veOKlLQlAAAA.
  24. “Tweet.” Twitter. Posted July 18, 2019. Accessed December 6, 2021. https://twitter.com/JulieAFernandes/status/1151978848940109824?cxt=HHwWgMC1_Zuq0_wfAAAA
  25. “Julie Fernandes on Felony Disenfranchisement.” Loteria Films Vimeo. Uploaded 2016. Accessed December 6, 2021. https://vimeo.com/181973535.
  26. “Julie Fernandes, ’94: Building a Career from One Interesting Job to the Next.” University of Chicago Law School. October 1, 2014. Accessed December 6, 2021. https://www.law.uchicago.edu/news/julie-fernandes-94-building-career-one-interesting-job-next.
  27. “Individual Contributions.” Federal Election Commission. Accessed December 6, 2021. https://www.fec.gov/data/receipts/individual-contributions/?contributor_name=Julie%20Fernandes.
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