Happy Friday! Welcome to our Media Round Up. Each week we’re collecting and sharing our favorite gender + politics stories. Here’s what caught our eye this week:

Biden Nominates Diverse Slate to Fill First 11 Federal Judicial Vacancies

Susan Milligan, US News

On Tuesday, President Joe Biden made history by nominating eleven people to fill in vacancies on the federal bench, completing the process faster than any President in modern history. The nominees include nine women and two men from diverse racial backgrounds. Among the notable nominees are Judge Florence Y. Pan, who would be the first Asian American or Pacific Islander to join the federal bench and Judge Zahid N. Quraishi, who would be the first Muslim American member of the court. Biden’s nominee for United States District Court for the District of Maryland, Judge Lydia Griggsby would be the first Black woman and woman of color to serve as a federal judge in that district. Another one of the President’s picks, Judge Ketanji Brown, could join the Supreme Court if an opening occurs, which would fulfill Biden’s campaign promise to nominate a Black woman to the high court.

You can read the full article here.

With More Women In State Office, Family Leave Policies Have Not Caught Up

Abigail Censky, NPR

Although there are a record number of women serving as state lawmakers across the country, family policies for legislators have been slow to change. With no parental leave policy in place for state lawmakers, they can technically take off as much time as they want – the catch being that they can’t vote remotely, so they would miss votes. This leaves working parents with little options when it comes to balancing family life and serving their constituents. Michigan Senator Mallory McMorrow, who became the second woman to ever give birth while serving in the Senate earlier this year, said the lack of leave policy is out of touch with modern times. “Are we comfortable with the idea that we don’t want working moms in the legislature? Because that’s the message unless we change the system,” she said.

You can read the full article here.

Biden’s senior appointments are almost 60% women. He’s on track for a historic milestone

David Lauter, Los Angeles Times

For the first time in history, the U.S. is on track to have an administration that is made up of majority women. Out of President Biden’s 84 senior appointees, 56% are women, and among sub-Cabinet positions, over 60% are women. Additionally, almost half of those sub-Cabinet nominations have gone to people of color. Despite these milestones, historically marginalized groups are continuing to put pressure on the Biden administration to set new records for diversity. “We are proud that throughout the administration, including at the White House, the leadership is majority women, and we remain committed to building an administration that is reflective of America,” said White House Deputy Press Secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre

You can read the full article here.

Women face the highest risks of workplace harassment. Can state houses close loopholes?

Barbara Rodriguez, The 19^th

State Senator Jennifer McClellan, a Democrat from Virginia, is proposing a legislation to clarify what classifies as workplace sexual harassment in the hopes that it will close loopholes in federal and state laws that leave employees at risk, with women at highest risk. Following the #MeToo movement, at least 19 state legislatures across the country have enacted laws on workplace and sexual harassment. However, advocates say many of these laws are fraught with loopholes surrounding what constitutes harassment that make it difficult for workers to receive legal protections.

You can read the full article here.

As Biden pushes split infrastructure plan, working women see a make-or-break moment

Eric Rosenbaum, CNBC

The Biden administration has announced that its new infrastructure plan will be divided into two parts. It will first focus on traditional projects, such as repairing American infrastructure, and then tackle health care and child care policy. Rep. Katie Porter, a Democrat from California, spoke about Biden’s decision and his campaign promise to provide working women with federal help after seeing how the COVID-19 pandemic set them back many years. “I think we’re at a real inflection point where we need to be pushing our president to deliver on the promise he made, which is that the care economy, an investment in the care economy, is an investment in our nation’s infrastructure because it’s an investment in our nation’s workforce,” Porter said. “Childcare is just as essential to people being able to do their job as a road or a bridge to get them there.”

You can read the full article here.