National Organizations Urge Senators to Demand Fair-Minded, Qualified Judicial Nominees Committed to Civil and Human Rights
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Patrick McNeil, [email protected]
WASHINGTON — The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, joined by 84 national organizations, wrote to senators today urging them to make our federal judiciary an enduring priority by demanding that all judicial nominees are fair-minded, well-qualified, and committed to civil and human rights.
The letter, sent two weeks into the new Trump administration and as the Senate prepares to consider the president’s eventual nominees to fill lifetime seats on the federal bench, stresses the importance of having a diverse federal judiciary that works for all people, not just the wealthy and powerful, and the ways in which federal judges impacts people’s lives. “All federal judges decide cases that impact our rights and ability to live in a thriving, multiracial democracy. Judges rule on cases involving voting rights, access to health care, LGBTQ equality, disability rights, protections for immigrants, rights of working people, sexual harassment, freedom from discrimination based on religion, environmental protections, gun safety, and more,” the letter states.
In their letter, the groups recognize the damage done to the judiciary during the first Trump administration, when Republicans controlled the Senate as they do today. “Throughout the previous Trump administration, nominees were often selected for their anti-civil and human rights work, and overall they did not reflect our communities. Unfortunately, this has had dire consequences for the communities we represent,” the groups write. “For the first time in our nation’s history, a majority on the U.S. Supreme Court took away a fundamental right — the right to abortion. The Supreme Court and lower federal courts have jeopardized other civil and human rights and protections as well. Our nation’s highest court has also failed to address the serious ethics crisis that calls into question their fairness and impartiality.”
All senators have a vital duty as part of their constitutional advice and consent responsibility to carefully consider each of the president’s nominees for the federal bench, most of whom are nominated to serve in lifetime positions. The groups urge senators to take this responsibility seriously and make clear that they will only confirm nominees who are fair-minded, highly qualified, and committed to upholding the rights of all people.
“For our democracy to work, all people in America need to be able to trust that judges and justices will be fair. We call upon the Senate to do everything in its power to make sure any nominee who is confirmed will truly deliver equal justice under law,” the letter says in closing.
The full letter is available here.
Leadership Conference resources
- Fact sheet: Damage to the Federal Judiciary During the Trump Administration
- Fact sheet: Project 2025: What’s At Stake for Our Courts, Our Rights, and Our Future
- Blog: Project 2025 and the Project to Take Over Our Courts and Our Rights
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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