Swift Confirmation of Judicial Nominees Is Essential to Strengthening Our Democracy

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 voted to advance 20 judicial nominees to the Senate floor:

“Today, the Senate Judiciary Committee, with incredible leadership from Chair Durbin, advanced 20 diverse and qualified judicial nominees who will bring us closer to a federal judiciary that lives up to its promise of equal justice for all. We are particularly excited that the nominations of Nicole Berner, Adeel Mangi, Judge Mustafa Kasubhai, Judge Eumi Lee, and Sarah Russell are one step closer to confirmation. We denounce the egregious, offensive, and unfounded assertions made today about some of these nominees. They have each throughout their careers demonstrated a sincere dedication to civil and human rights that our federal courts need, and they will be tremendous fair-minded judges. Time is of the essence, and it is critically important that the Senate move to confirm these nominees quickly.

“It is also notable that the committee advanced seven nominees from Southern and Midwestern states. This is an encouraging step, and we hope to see more vacancies filled expeditiously in these states where we have seen a rise in threats to our civil and human rights and where significant progress is still needed to ensure every community has access to the justice they deserve.

“As we begin this consequential year for our democracy, President Biden and our senators must accelerate the critical progress we’ve made toward building an equal justice judiciary. We continue to call for the nomination and confirmation of additional fair-minded judges in all parts of the country who will work for everyone. Our rights and our future depend on it.”

Yesterday, The Leadership Conference and 108 national organizations wrote to the Senate urging the prioritization of judicial confirmations in 2024. Read the letter here.

The Leadership Conference previously sent letters in support of Nicole Berner (Fourth Circuit), Adeel Mangi (Third Circuit), Judge Mustafa Kasubhai (District of Oregon), Judge Eumi Lee (Northern District of California), and Sarah Russell (District of Connecticut), who were all favorably reported to the full Senate on Thursday.

To learn more about the lifetime judges confirmed during the Biden administration through 2023, read our brief here.

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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