The Leadership Conference Supports the Confirmation of Karla Campbell

Courts Resources 06.27.24

View PDF of this letter here

June 27, 2024

SUPPORT THE CONFIRMATION OF KARLA CAMPBELL TO THE U.S. COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE SIXTH CIRCUIT

Dear Senator:

On behalf of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, 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, we write to express our strong support for the confirmation of Karla Campbell to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. The Leadership Conference intends to include your position on the confirmation of Ms. Campbell in our voting record for the 118th Congress.

Ms. Campbell’s impressive legal career, which includes a steadfast commitment to protecting the rights of working people, makes her extremely qualified to serve on the Sixth Circuit. Currently, Ms. Campbell is of counsel at Stranch Jennings & Garvey PLLC, where she had previously also been a member, associate, and attorney, specializing in labor and employment law. She also worked as a law clerk and attorney for Watson & Renner and as an international affairs specialist with the U.S. Department of the Interior. A graduate of the University of Virginia and Georgetown University Law Center, Ms. Campbell clerked for Judge Jane Branstetter Stranch on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. Ms. Campbell’s experience pursuing equal justice makes her a wonderful choice to serve as a federal judge.

Ms. Campbell’s career has been steeped in defending the rights of working people. She has worked on numerous cases across many different areas of labor and employment law, including workplace safety, fair wages, and access to benefits, as well as advising labor organizations on best practices. An expert in the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA), she has worked tirelessly to defend the contributions and benefits owed to employees. She has successfully brought several cases against employers for withholding or failing to make proper contributions to employee benefit plans, with working people ultimately able to receive the benefits owed to them.[1] Our federal judiciary has a deficit when it comes to judges who possess this crucial background in labor and employment law, especially on our appellate courts, which are entrusted with interpreting laws and issuing decisions that deeply impact the lives of all people — including working people. It is vital that our courts have more judges who possess the kind of experience that Ms. Campbell will bring to the Sixth Circuit.

Ms. Campbell has also worked to defend the rights of incarcerated people. She was part of a team that brought a class action lawsuit on behalf of incarcerated people in Tennessee who were denied proper medical care to treat Hepatitis C.[2] The lawsuit catalyzed the Tennessee Department of Corrections to update their existing protocol for treating people with Hepatitis C into a more comprehensive one, which better aligns with current medical standards for treatment — ultimately providing many more incarcerated people with much needed medical care.[3] As this impressive experience demonstrates, she is well-qualified for this position.

Ms. Campbell is an excellent choice for this position, and we urge the Senate to confirm her to the Sixth Circuit. 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] See e.g., Sheet Metal Workers’ Health & Welfare Fund of N. Carolina v. Stromberg Metal Works, Inc., No. 5:21-CV-101-BO (E.D.N.C. Sept. 2021); Woody on behalf of Insulators & Allied Workers Loc. No. 46 Annuity Fund v. USA DeBusk, LLC, No. 3:19-CV-01018 (M.D. Tenn. Dec. 2020); Davidson v. Elite Steel, LLC, No. 3:23-CV-00050, (M.D. Tenn. July 2023).

[2] Atkins v. Parker, 412 F. Supp. 3d 761 (M.D. Tenn. 2019).

[3] Press Release: Court Rules Against Inmates Challenging Tennessee Department of Corrections Hepatitis C Protocol, American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee (October 1, 2019).