Civil and Human Rights Coalition Commends Judicial Nominations to Fully Staff D.C. Circuit Court

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WASHINGTON — Wade Henderson, president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, issued the following statement after President Obama announced the nominations of Cornelia “Nina” Pillard, Patricia Millett, and Robert Wilkins to fill the longstanding vacancies on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit:

“Today’s nominations by President Obama are a giant leap forward to fully staffing our federal courts. President Obama’s choices to fill these seats – Cornelia “Nina” Pillard, Patricia Millett, and Robert Wilkins – are all thoughtful, seasoned, and mainstream legal figures whose qualifications are beyond debate.

Republicans who oppose a yes-or-no confirmation vote for this slate of nominees are overreaching. The D.C. Circuit has been functioning with an understaffed bench for years. In fact, one of these seats was left vacant eight years ago when Chief Justice John Roberts, took on his current role on the Supreme Court.

This court, in particular, needs thoughtful legal minds because it hears some of nation’s most complex and consequential cases, including cases that involve complicated federal regulations and significant national civil rights, civil liberties, and security issues.

Some of the most important civil and human rights issues of our time hinge on the opinion of the D.C. Circuit, including the recent decision to invalidate recess appointments to the National Labor Relations Board and Shelby v. Holder, the challenge to Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act, which is now before the U.S. Supreme Court.

We applaud President Obama for his commitment to fully staffing the D.C. Circuit and urge the Senate to abandon the obstruction of the past and swiftly confirm this slate of judges.”

Wade Henderson is the president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, a coalition charged by its diverse membership of more than 200 national organizations to promote and protect the rights of all persons in the United States. The Leadership Conference works toward an America as good as its ideals. For more information on The Leadership Conference and its 200-plus member organizations, visit www.civilrights.org.