NEW JERSEY – Imani Oakley, Esq. former Legislative Director of NJ Working Families, joins #EyesOnNJ to host her 7th episode of “Upfront Now!” today at 5:00PM.
Imani will touch upon
- Focusing on exploring how the “Line” on NJ Ballots is being challenged in court.
- Interview with Brett Pugach, Election Attorney
- Interview with Christine Conforti, US House Candidate NJ-04
Brett Pugach
Brett Represents progressive candidates and other clients on a variety of election law issues concerning political campaigns, voting rights, constitutional rights, filing petitions, ballot access, ballot placement, bracketing, recounts, election contests, and campaign finance.
He Served as special election counsel and as election advisor to federal, state, and local candidates, including congressional candidates, gubernatorial candidates, and New Jersey’s state campaign for a presidential candidate. Coordinated statewide volunteer attorney Election Day Voter Protection Program. Participated as speaker and lecturer on various election law topics before variety of audiences. Served as delegate to party National Convention in Philadelphia in connection with the 2016 Presidential Election. Member of various progressive organizations committed to social justice issues and other important causes.
Election Law: Prepared briefs in voter suppression case in federal trial and appellate courts, including SCOTUS. Represented clients before the New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission and related appeals. Prevailed in Civil Rights Act claim to protect associational rights under the First Amendment. Litigated and prevailed in election contest bench trial to overturn certification of tie vote in primary race. Coordinated statewide volunteer attorney Election Day Voter Protection Program. Presented lectures on various election law topics for variety of audiences.
Other Matters: Handled matters before various state and federal agencies, and in state and federal courts. Represented clients in grievances, arbitrations, and disciplinary hearings. Named as a 2018 New Jersey Super Lawyers Rising Star.
Christine Conforti
From leading corporate responsibility platforms at the United Nations, to serving our country’s education system with Teach For America, to being an entrepreneur who develops small business owners, Conforti’s global experience and leadership training has prepared me to uniquely deliver an inclusive message that calls for sustainable economic policy and preventative healthcare measures— one that benefits all families across the political spectrum.
She cares deeply about health, the environment, education, entrepreneurship and social justice, with policy positions shaped by my life experience as a teacher, a business owner, a cancer-treatment advocate and a sustainability leader.
We have all of resources we need to live healthier and happier lives in harmony with each other and the environment. The next 10 years are an opportunity to build a positive new reality in response to the health and environmental crisis, by expanding local businesses and programs that already exist in New Jersey. Sustainability is an upgrade to our health, our communities, and our livelihoods— saving us money while saving the planet!
Beyond her national and global leadership experience, she is driven by her deep roots in CD-4. She has the unique ability to build a deep sense of trust with voters, at a time when confidence in the integrity of Congress is at a historic low.
Imani Oakley, Esq.
Imani R. Oakley, Esq was the Legislative Director & Regional Organizer for New Jersey Working Families. Imani is also an alum of New Leaders Council-New Jersey and is currently fulfilling the role of NLC-NJ Institute Co-Chair where she is responsible for constructing and facilitating a six-month curriculum for New Jersey’s emerging leaders.
Recently, Imani was voted-in as the Political Director for the Young Democrats of America’s Woman’s Caucus. Imani also currently holds the position of Northern Vice Chair for the New Jersey Young Democrats and was previously the Executive Chair of the Essex County Young Democrats. Imani is the former Deputy Chief of Staff for Assemblywoman Britnee N. Timberlake and has also served as a Constituent Advocate for Senator Cory A. Booker where her portfolio consisted of affordable housing, mortgages, taxes, student loans, consumer protection, pensions, and postal service issues. In 2018, Imani was honored to be the Keynote Speaker for the Montclair Branch NAACP’s 102nd Thurgood Marshall Freedom Fund Dinner and Awards Ceremony where she spoke about the theme “Face the Hate and VOTE” with an emphasis on protecting the voting process for the nation’s most vulnerable communities.
Imani has also been a strong advocate for criminal justice reform. In 2017, Imani was a panel speaker for the 2017 International Drug Policy Reform Conference where she spoke about her experience in effecting D.C.’s local marijuana legalization laws and what students can do to effect drug policy reform on their campus and in their communities. Furthering her endeavors to create positive change in drug policy reform, Imani was invited to participate in the 2016 Minority Cannabis Business Association’s Policy Summit where she helped draft model legislation for the legalization of marijuana in a manner that promotes access to the legal cannabis industry for marginalized communities.
As an unyielding advocate for the systemically powerless, in 2015, Imani was a legal observer during the anti-police brutality protests in Baltimore, Maryland, where she ensured that the First Amendment rights of protestors were not infringed upon. During this same year, Imani spent her summer working for the South African non-profit, Ndifuna Ukwazi, where she collected affidavits on property and sewage conditions from South African communities that suffered under Apartheid and are still experiencing Apartheid’s harsh effects, even in its aftermath.
Imani earned her Bachelor’s degree from Howard University, a Master of Arts degree from New York University, and a Juris Doctor degree from Howard University School of Law. While enrolled in law school, Imani was enrolled in the Legislative Legal Clinic and drafted policy reports for non-profit organizations focused on criminal justice reform. As the Captain of Oral Advocacy for the Goler Teal Butcher International Moot Court Team at Howard, Imani distinguished herself among national and international competitors as the 2016 Best Oralist at the Susan J. Ferrell Intercultural Human Rights Moot Court Competition. Through her passion for both policy and her community, Imani hopes to continue to be a servant of the people and a trailblazer for progress.
