Support the Confirmation of Mónica Ramírez Almadani to the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California
Dear Senator:
On behalf of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, a coalition of more than 230 national organizations committed to promoting and protecting the civil and human rights of all persons in the United States, we write to express our strong support for the confirmation of Mónica Ramírez Almadani to the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. The Leadership Conference intends to include your position on the confirmation of Ms. Ramírez Almadani in our voting record for the 118th Congress.
Ms. Ramírez Almadani has dedicated her career to the pursuit of equal justice for all. Since 2021, Ms. Ramírez Almadani has been the president and CEO of Public Counsel, an organization that provides pro bono legal services to underserved communities. Prior to this, she was a visiting assistant clinical professor of law and co-director of the Immigrant Rights Clinic at the University of California, Irvine School of Law. Ms. Ramírez Almadani served as a special assistant attorney general for the California Department of Justice and an assistant U.S. attorney for the criminal division of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California. She also held several positions with the U.S. Department of Justice, including deputy chief of staff and senior counsel to the deputy attorney general and counsel to the assistant attorney general for the Civil Rights Division. She spent time in private practice as special counsel at Covington & Burling LLP. Ms. Ramírez Almadani also worked for the American Civil Liberties Union’s (ACLU) Immigrant Rights Project, first as an Equal Justice Works fellow and then as a staff attorney. A graduate of Harvard University and Stanford Law School, she clerked for Judge Warren J. Ferguson on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Ms. Ramírez Almadani’s vast experience makes her a valuable addition to the Central District of California.
Ms. Ramírez Almadani’s dedication to public service is evidenced by her impressive work defending the rights of vulnerable communities, including immigrants and those facing discrimination. In 2017, after the Trump administration attempted to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, Ms. Ramírez Almadani was part of the litigation team that successfully challenged the termination of this vital program.[1] She also successfully represented the city of Los Angeles in their challenge to a 2017 decision from the U.S. Department of Justice that conditioned grant money for local law enforcement on the city’s compliance with overreaching immigration policies that specifically targeted ‘sanctuary cities.’[2] When the same policy was challenged by the city of Chicago, she helped author an amicus brief in support of the city.[3] Ms. Ramírez Almadani’s longstanding commitment to civil rights will serve her well on the federal bench.
In addition to the important professional experience she would bring to the bench, Ms. Ramírez Almadani also would bring important lived experiences. If confirmed, she would be the only Latina currently serving on this court.[4] At more than 19 million people,[5] the Central District of California is the most populous of any federal district.[6] Nearly 9 million people in this district identify as either Hispanic or Latino/a,[7] yet this court has only ever had two Latina judges in its history.[8] To strengthen public trust in the judiciary, our courts should reflect the communities they serve.[9] Diversity of experience, both personal and professional, helps improve judicial decision-making.[10] The confirmation of Ms. Ramírez Almadani would be an important step towards ensuring that our federal courts reflect and represent the diversity of our nation.
Ms. Ramírez Almadani is an excellent choice for this position, and we strongly urge the Senate to confirm her to the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. If you would like to discuss this matter further, please contact Lena Zwarensteyn, senior director of the fair courts program, at (202) 466-3311. Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Maya Wiley
President & CEO
Jesselyn McCurdy
Executive Vice President of Government Affairs
[1] Regents of the Univ. of California v. US. Dep’t of Homeland Sec., 279 F. Supp. 3d 1011 (N.D. Cal. 2018), aff’d, 908 F.3d 476 (9th Cir. 2018), aff’d 140 S. Ct. 1891 (2020).
[2] City of Los Angeles v. Barr, 941 F.3d 931 (9th Cir. 2019).
[3] City of Chi. v. Sessions, 888 F.3d 272 (7th Cir. 2018).
[4] See Biographical Directory of Article III Federal Judges, 1789-present, Federal Judicial Center (accessed March 2023).
[5] QuickFacts, U.S. Census Bureau (Accessed March 2023) (The Central District of California hears cases from 7 counties: Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, and Ventura).
[6] About the District, United States Attorney’s Office, Central District of California (2023).
[7] U.S. Census Bureau, supra note 5.
[8] Federal Judicial Center, supra note 4.
[9] Maya Sen, Diversity, Qualifications, and Ideology: How Female and Minority Judges Have Changed, or Not Changed, Over Time, 2017 Wis. L. Rev. 367 (2017).
[10] Kate Berry, Building a Diverse Bench: Selecting Federal Magistrate and Bankruptcy Judges, Brennan Center For Justice At Nyu School Of Law And American Bar Association Judicial Division (2017).