Senate Fails to Maintain Minimal Standards for Judges

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Rafael Medina, [email protected], 202.869.0390

WASHINGTON – Kristine Lucius, executive vice president for policy and government affairs at The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, issued the following statement on the confirmation of Wendy Berger to the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida. Berger refused to state that the U.S. Supreme Court correctly decided Brown v. Board of Education:

“Today, senators confirmed Wendy Berger, who failed to state that Brown was correctly decided, proving that leaders on both sides are failing to set the most minimal of standards for judicial nominees. Yet another judge who refused to affirm the unanimous Supreme Court decision to end legal apartheid in America will now be sitting on the bench. This is appalling. The Senate must demand that nominees clarify their answer for the record, and if they fail to do so, reject them. Responsible leadership requires remaining vigilant to ensure that we do not regress to the era when ‘separate but equal’ was law, or even an open question. The American people and their justice system deserve better. When will the Senate understand this?”

May 2019 marked 65 years since the Supreme Court’s unanimous Brown v. Board ruling that struck down the shameful doctrine of ‘separate but equal.’ Read The Leadership Conference’s letter and updated list of nominees we are calling on senators to oppose, including Wendy Berger, who refused to state unequivocally that Brown was correctly decided.

The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights is 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 member organizations, visit www.civilrights.org.