New DOJ lawyer leads federal election monitoring in four PA counties

The Justice Department has confirmed that federal monitors will observe polling places in Philadelphia, Allegheny, Luzerne, and Lehigh counties on Nov. 3. James T. Catania, a trial lawyer in the agency’s Civil Rights Division, sent a letter last week to Pennsylvania Secretary of State Al Schmidt outlining the plan. The monitors will check for compliance with federal election laws, including the Voting Rights Act.

Catania serves as the regional coordinator for this effort. He joined the Justice Department in May, according to his LinkedIn page, after working at private firms on municipal, corporate, and labor matters. In his correspondence with state officials, Catania noted that other attorneys would provide additional assistance in Michigan and Ohio.

This coordination is part of a wider federal push. At least five other Justice Department lawyers have sent similar letters to election officials in Georgia, Indiana, Maine, Colorado, and Washington. Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon, who leads the Civil Rights Division, stated in recent media appearances that she is spearheading the national monitoring initiative.

Dhillon said the agency plans to deploy 1,000 monitors to all 50 states. Personnel, including lawyers and other staff, will focus on disability access, language assistance for voters with limited English proficiency, and instances of voter intimidation. Dhillon told Newsmax earlier this month that the department is preparing for the largest number of monitors and observers in American history.

Local officials in Pennsylvania have noted that the Biden administration used monitors in these same counties during previous elections. Philadelphia City Commissioner Seth Bluestein said that during the 2022 midterms, the main focus was ensuring materials were available in Spanish and Chinese. Bluestein expressed the expectation that everyone in the city would follow applicable state and federal laws on Election Day.

The Justice Department declined to make Catania available for an interview. A spokesperson said Catania and other regional coordinators would be based in Washington, D.C., on Election Day. Each coordinator oversees a group of field monitors and is expected to address issues reported by those at polling places. The spokesperson added that the process aligns with prior election monitoring practices at the agency.

Catania earned a bachelor’s degree from Rutgers University in 2009 and a master’s in military strategic intelligence from American Military University. He served in the Air Force, including two deployments to Afghanistan, and worked briefly in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy in 2016. He attended Seton Hall University’s law school, where he served as president of the Student Veterans Association. Bluestein said he expects to speak with Catania before the election, while Catania’s letter indicated he would hold online conference calls with each jurisdiction to explain the monitors' roles.