Sara Hill Will Bring Vital Experience and Native Representation to the Federal Bench

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Patrick McNeil, [email protected]

WASHINGTON — Lena Zwarensteyn, senior director of the fair courts program at The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, released the following statement after the Senate Judiciary Committee’s hearing on several judicial nominees, including the nomination of Sara Hill to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Oklahoma:

“Sara Hill demonstrated today why her nomination is critically important for our nation. Her extensive experience in Indian law, including serving as the attorney general for the Cherokee Nation, is greatly needed but has long been excluded from our federal courts. We need federal judges who are deeply knowledgeable about the legal principles and unique political status and rights of tribal nations and Native people. Sara Hill will be one of these judges. As a citizen of the Cherokee Nation, she also brings underrepresented lived experiences to the bench and will be the first Native American woman to ever serve a lifetime appointment on any federal court in Oklahoma — and just the eighth Native American lifetime judge in our nation’s history.

“We thank Chair Durbin for holding today’s hearing and urge the full Senate to swiftly move forward on this nomination. More progress is needed, but confirming Sara Hill to the Northern District of Oklahoma is a necessary step toward ensuring that our federal courts truly reflect and represent the rich diversity of our nation.”

Read The Leadership Conference’s letter in support of Sara Hill.

The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights is a coalition charged by its diverse membership of more than 240 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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