Judith C. Appelbaum is the Acting Assistant Attorney General for Legislative Affairs. In that capacity, she heads the Department's Office of Legislative Affairs, which is responsible for managing the Department's relationship with Congress. Ms. Appelbaum joined the Department in May 2009 as a Deputy Assistant Attorney General for Legislative Affairs. Previously, she served as Director of Programs at the American Constitution Society for Law and Policy, and as 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 the Senate confirmation process. Before that, she served as Counsel to Sen. Edward M. Kennedy on his Judiciary Committee staff and as his chief advisor on women's rights issues. Appelbaum earned her B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania and her law degree from Stanford Law School.