Judge Rebecca Pennell’s Experience Will Strengthen the Federal Judiciary
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Patrick McNeil, [email protected]
WASHINGTON — Lena Zwarensteyn, senior director of the fair courts program and an advisor at The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, released the following statement after the Senate confirmed Judge Rebecca Pennell to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Washington:
“The Leadership Conference applauds all senators who voted to confirm Judge Rebecca Pennell to the Eastern District of Washington. Before serving as a fair-minded judge on the Washington State Court of Appeals, Judge Pennell spent most of her impressive legal career as a public defender. This experience is critically important, as public defenders play a vital role in our legal system but remain vastly underrepresented in the federal judiciary. Judge Pennell is now just the second public defender to serve as a lifetime judge on this court.
“We thank President Biden for nominating Judge Pennell and commend Senators Murray and Cantwell for their leadership. Today’s confirmation is an important step as we create courts that work for all of us. Time is of the essence, and we continue to call on the Senate to confirm all pending judicial nominees before the end of this administration.”
Read The Leadership Conference’s letter in support of the confirmation of Judge Rebecca Pennell.
On Friday, The Leadership Conference, joined by 140+ other national organizations, wrote to senators urging them to confirm all pending judicial nominees before the end of the Biden administration. The letter is available 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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