Civil and Human Rights Community Urges Senate Vote on Obama’s Renominated Judges

Yesterday, President Obama renominated 42 judges who had been voted out of the Senate Judiciary Committee in the last Congress but had not received a vote on the Senate floor.

Among the renominated judges are Louis B. Butler, Jr. for the District of Western Wisconsin, Edward Milton Chen for the District of Northern California, Goodwin Liu for the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, and John J. McConnell, Jr. for the District of Rhode Island – all of whom enjoyed broad support from the civil and human rights community.

“President Obama’s decision to renominate dozens of judicial candidates is an encouraging sign for justice. It’s also an opportunity for the new Senate to demonstrate its commitment to act responsibly to fill the unprecedented number of court vacancies, many of which have been declared ‘judicial emergencies,'” said Wade Henderson, president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights.

The failure of the Senate to overcome the obstructionist tactics of the minority party during the last two years greatly increased the number of judicial vacancies on the federal courts.  There are currently 95 vacancies – 44 of which have been termed “judicial emergencies,” by the Adminstrative Office of the U.S. Courts because they do not have enough judges to handle the caseload. A court with vacancies and increased workload means long delays for people seeking to enforce their rights or settle their legal disputes in court.

“Highly qualified nominees such as Goodwin Liu, Edward Chen, John McConnell, and Louis Butler deserve an up-or-down confirmation vote on the Senate floor. We urge senators of both parties to put partisanship aside and exercise their advise and consent role with respect to the President’s nominees,” said Henderson.