The Leadership Conference Celebrates Judge Nancy Maldonado’s Historic Confirmation

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 confirmed Judge Nancy Maldonado to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit:

“Judge Nancy Maldonado’s historic confirmation to the Seventh Circuit brings critically important civil rights experience to the appellate bench and long overdue representation to this court. Her professional and lived experiences represent the kind of diversity that helps to build public trust in our courts, improves judicial decision-making, and strengthens our democracy. We celebrate this significant moment for our judiciary.

“Judge Maldonado has an even-handed approach to the law and commitment to the rights of all people. She is now the first Latino/a judge on the Seventh Circuit, and she previously made history as the first Latina lifetime judge on the Northern District of Illinois. We thank President Biden, Chair Durbin, and Senator Duckworth for their leadership in nominating Judge Maldonado to this important seat, and we urge the administration and the Senate to continue this crucial work. Much more progress is urgently needed to build an equal justice judiciary that works for everyone, and today’s confirmation of Judge Maldonado is a necessary step toward ensuring that our federal appellate courts respect and protect the rights of communities across the nation.”

Judge Maldonado’s confirmation marks the 21st lifetime confirmation of a Latina judge during the Biden administration and just the 10th confirmation of a Latina judge to a federal circuit court in our nation’s history. Even with her confirmation, seven of our federal circuit courts have still never had a Latina judge (the First, Third, Fourth, Sixth, Eighth, Tenth, and DC Circuits).

To mark this historic confirmation, The Leadership Conference released a fact sheet on Latino/a lifetime judges confirmed during the Biden administration. The fact sheet is available here. The Leadership Conference previously released fact sheets on Black lifetime judges and AANHPI lifetime judges confirmed during this administration, in addition to one highlighting openly LGBTQ lifetime judges throughout our nation’s history.

Read The Leadership Conference’s letter in support of the confirmation of Judge Nancy Maldonado.

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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