Amy K. Matsui, Senior Counsel and Director of Women and the Courts

Amy K. Matsui is Senior Counsel and Director of Women and the Courts at the National Women’s Law Center. She works on economic issues affecting low- and moderate-income women and families, with special emphasis on federal and state tax policy and women’s retirement security. Her work with retirement savings policy and federal and state tax credits for working families comprises policy analysis, federal advocacy, and public education and outreach. She also directs the Center's advocacy efforts around federal judicial nominations and diversity in the federal judiciary. Ms. Matsui has worked at the Center since 2002. Prior to joining the Center, Ms. Matsui practiced commercial law in the private sector. She clerked for the Honorable Carolyn Dineen King, then-Chief Judge of the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, in 2000. She is a graduate of the University of California at Berkeley, and Stanford Law School.

Expert in: Tax Credits Outreach, Judicial Nominations, Family Tax Credits, Social Security, Supreme Court, Judges & the Courts, Social Security & Retirement
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My Take

Happy Tax Day!

Posted by Amy K. Matsui, Senior Counsel and Director of Women and the Courts | Posted on: April 15, 2013 at 11:19 am

This post is the ninth in a series of weekly posts containing tax information and filing tips. Check back next week for our next post, or click here to read past posts. 

So today is the deadline for filing your federal tax return (and most state returns). Although many people associate filing their taxes with feelings of confusion, stress, and general misery, tax time can also help give low- and moderate-income families a financial boost through federal tax credits like:

  • Earned Income Tax Credit, designed to supplement the wages of low- and moderate-income families (those who earned less than $50,270 in 2012). This credit is worth up to $5,891 and is available as a refund for families who owe little or no income tax.
  • Child Tax Credit, designed to help families offset some of the costs of raising children. This credit is worth up to $1,000 per child. Families who owe little or no income tax can receive some or all of this credit as a refund if they earned at least $3,000 in 2012.  
  • Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit, designed to offset some of the child and dependent care costs that families incur in order to work. This credit is worth up to $2,100, though the amount that can be claimed is limited by the amount a family pays in federal income taxes.

And many states offer their own versions of these credits.

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Tags: Tax Credits & Tax Refunds, Tax Credits Outreach, Taxes, Family Tax Credits, Poverty & Income Support, Tax & Budget | Add new comment

In Case You Missed It: U.S. Courts Reflect on History of Women on the Federal Bench for Women’s History Month

Posted by Amy K. Matsui, Senior Counsel and Director of Women and the Courts | Posted on: April 01, 2013 at 03:38 pm

Although we have turned the calendar page, here’s one last piece from the U.S. Courts website about women in the federal judiciary in honor of Women’s History Month. The article offers a nice bit of historical perspective with information about the first female federal judges, and an infographic that demonstrates the huge – and ongoing -- gap between the number of women law students and the number of women on the bench. 

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Tags: Courts & the Judiciary, Women in the Judiciary, Judges & the Courts | Add new comment

Using a Tax Refund to Build Savings

Posted by Amy K. Matsui, Senior Counsel and Director of Women and the Courts | Posted on: March 13, 2013 at 10:40 am

This post is the fourth in a series of weekly posts containing tax information and filing tips. Check back next week for our next post, or click here to read past posts.

Not to make you panic, but there’s about a month left before the April 15 tax-filing deadline. State and federal income tax refunds can provide a significant economic boost for families. If you work with families (including your own!), you should know about some of the ways that families can use their tax refunds to build up their economic security, other than paying bills or making long-deferred purchases. If families file their taxes electronically and choose direct deposit for their refunds, they can:

  • Put some of their refund in up to three different accounts, including checking and savings accounts, but also passbook savings, IDAs, IRAs, HSAs, Archer MSAs, and Coverdell education savings accounts. That means that they can save not just for a rainy day, but specifically for retirement, medical costs, or educational expenses.
  • Buy a U.S. Savings Bond worth up to $5,000.
  • Families can choose how much to put in the different accounts or the Savings Bond.
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Tags: Tax Credits & Tax Refunds, Taxes | 1 comment

In Case You Missed It: ACS Blog on Women on the Federal Bench

Posted by Amy K. Matsui, Senior Counsel and Director of Women and the Courts | Posted on: March 12, 2013 at 11:40 am

On Friday, the American Constitution Society marked International Women’s Day with a blog on one of our favorite subjects – diversity on the federal bench. In case you weren’t able to enjoy this great post on Friday, read on:

Making Progress, Albeit Slowly, on Diversifying the Federal Bench

March 8, 2013 | by Kristine Kippins

In celebration of International Women’s Day, ACS highlights the progress made over the last four years to diversify our federal judiciary.

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Tags: Judges, Judicial Nominations, Judicial Vacancies, Judicial Nominations, Judges & the Courts | Add new comment

Former Judge Patricia M. Wald Brings Focus on D.C. Circuit Back to Where It Belongs: Justice

Posted by Amy K. Matsui, Senior Counsel and Director of Women and the Courts | Posted on: March 01, 2013 at 01:53 pm

Yesterday, the Washington Post published an op-ed by former D.C. Circuit Judge Patricia M. Wald. As Judge Wald put it, in short, “The D.C. Circuit has 11 judgeships but only seven active judges. There is cause for extreme concern that Congress is systematically denying the court the human resources it needs to carry out its weighty mandates.”

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Tags: Courts & the Judiciary, Judicial Nominations, Judicial Nominations, Judges & the Courts | Add new comment