Senate Judiciary Committee Takes Important Step to Advance Exceptional Nominees

Courts Resources 05.20,21

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

WASHINGTON – Wade Henderson, interim president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, issued the following statement on the Senate Judiciary Committee’s votes to advance five judicial nominees, including Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit and Candace Jackson-Akiwumi to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit:

“Today, the Senate Judiciary Committee took a crucial step to make our courts more representative of our communities and to advance high standards of judicial quality. We are especially delighted that the nominations of Judge Jackson and Ms. Jackson-Akiwumi are moving forward. They both possess proven records of excellence while defending the rights of everyone, having served as public defenders. As we strive towards ‘equal justice under law,’ we must make sure our courts are staffed with judges who reflect the vast diversity of our nation and have experience that will improve judicial decision-making. The Senate must consider and confirm these distinguished nominees immediately.”

Background

It has been nearly 10 years since the Senate confirmed a Black woman to a federal appeals court. It is historic that Judge Jackson and Ms. Jackson-Akiwumi, both Black women, would be the first circuit court nominees confirmed during the Biden-Harris administration. In addition, Ms. Jackson-Akiwumi would be the first Seventh Circuit judge who spent most of her career as a public defender. She would also be the only judge of color on the Seventh Circuit and only the second judge of color to ever serve on that court.

Read The Leadership Conference’s letters in support of the confirmation of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson and Candace Jackson-Akiwumi, as well as The Leadership Conference’s statement on President Biden’s first slate of judicial nominations.

The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights is a coalition charged by its diverse membership of more than 220 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.

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