<div style="float: right; padding: 5px; width: 33%;"><img src="{staticroot}files/resources/griesmerromiegdm4914webv600px.jpg" alt="Romie Griesmer" width="95%" /></div>
<p>When an influential national organization of women lawyers was looking for professionals to prepare a comprehensive evaluation of Supreme Court nominee Merrick Garland, they tapped a Delaware Law School academic to help.</p>
<p>The National Association of Women Lawyers asked Lecturer at Law <a href="ipl://604//W10=">Romie Griesmer</a>, who also serves as supervising attorney to the law school&rsquo;s Pennsylvania Criminal Defense Clinic, to serve on the committee that evaluated Garland&rsquo;s qualifications. The committee placed an emphasis on laws and decisions regarding women&rsquo;s rights and those that have a special impact on women.</p>
<p>The 17-member NAWL committee recently submitted the results of its work to the Senate Judiciary Committee. The group concluded Garland &ndash; currently chief judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit &ndash; is &ldquo;well-qualified&rdquo; to serve on the nation&rsquo;s highest court. It is the highest rating the committee is authorized to confer.</p>
<p>Griesmer said she served as a committee reader and focused on reading Garland&rsquo;s criminal law decisions. There were roughly 300 cases to review with about 100 of them in the criminal realm. The committee worked quickly to complete its work in under a month. She logged long hours by adding the task to her already busy schedule at the law school.</p>
<p>&ldquo;It was very rewarding for me. Everyone on the committee felt the importance of that task at hand,&rdquo; she said.</p>
<p>Promises from Republicans in Senate leadership that Garland will not get a nomination hearing didn&rsquo;t deter Griesmer from giving the task 100 percent. &ldquo;We were going to do our part to ensure the process moves forward,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;By doing nothing, we would have been acquiescing to the status quo, which is unacceptable.&rdquo;</p>