The Leadership Conference Supports the Confirmation of Ryan Park

View a PDF of the letter here.

November 14, 2024

SUPPORT THE CONFIRMATION OF RYAN PARK TO THE U.S. COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE FOURTH 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 Ryan Park to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. The Leadership Conference intends to include your position on the confirmation of Mr. Park in our voting record for the 118th Congress.

Mr. Park’s experience and exceptional career would be a tremendous asset to this court. Since 2020, Mr. Park has served as the solicitor general of North Carolina. Before assuming this position, he served as the deputy solicitor general of North Carolina. He spent time in private practice as an associate with Boies Schiller Flexner LLP. Additionally, he worked at the U.S. Department of State as an attorney advisor. A graduate of Amherst College and Harvard Law School, he clerked for Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and David Souter on the U.S. Supreme Court, Judge Robert Katzmann on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, and Judge Jed Rakoff on the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. He has also trained future lawyers as an adjunct professor for the University of North Carolina School of Law and a lecturing fellow at Duke University School of Law. Prior to law school, Mr. Park received a Fulbright Scholarship and taught English in South Korea for a year. As this both the breadth and depth of his legal experience demonstrates, Mr. Park would be an excellent federal judge.

Mr. Park’s impressive career has given him experience in many different areas of law, including but not limited to complex civil litigation, criminal law, administrative and state agency law, and appellate litigation. In addition to his extensive experience as a clerk at all levels of our federal judiciary and in private practice, Mr. Park serves as the solicitor general of North Carolina. In this capacity, Mr. Park has the immense responsibility of overseeing all litigation to which the state is a party, which includes litigation in important areas of civil rights. For example, he argued before the U.S. Supreme Court on behalf of the University of North Carolina, defending the university’s affirmative action policies that helped to foster a diverse learning environment for students in higher education.^[1] Mr. Park’s vast experience makes him a valuable addition to the Fourth Circuit.

In addition to the important professional experience that he would bring to this position, Mr. Park would bring much-needed lived experiences. If confirmed to this position, he would be the first Asian American judge to ever sit on the Fourth Circuit. Having courts that better reflect the many communities that they serve helps to strengthen the public’s trust in the judiciary,^[2] which is necessary to our courts’ function, and improves judicial decision-making.^[3] Indeed Mr. Park himself understands the crucial need for diversity in all aspects of our judiciary. He co-authored a report for the North Carolina Bar Association that analyzed the demographic information of the attorneys that presented oral arguments in cases in front of the North Carolina Supreme Court.^[4] The report found that women and people of color are vastly underrepresented, as 72% of the advocates identified as white and nearly 92% identified as men.^[5] It’s vital to have jurists who understand the importance of diversity and equity throughout the judiciary and whose professional and lived experience benefits the administration of justice. The confirmation of Mr. Park would be a meaningful step towards ensuring that our federal courts reflect and represent the diversity of our nation.

Finally, as demonstrated by his patient and deft handling of questions and unfounded attacks levied against his record in his hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee, Mr. Park possesses the temperament necessary to be an effective judge.^[6] Mr. Park is an excellent choice for this position, and we strongly urge the Senate to confirm him to the Fourth 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] Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. University of North Carolina, 600 U.S. 181 (2023).

^[2] Maya Sen, Diversity, Qualifications, and Ideology: How Female and Minority Judges Have Changed, or Not Changed, Over Time, 2017 Wis. L. Rev. 367 (2017).

^[3]  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).

^[4] Ryan Park, Mary Gen Sanner & Emma Ritter, Diversity and the North Carolina Supreme Court: A Look At The Advocates, North Carolina Bar Association (May 17, 2023).

^[5] Id.

^[6] Nominations, Senate Judiciary Committee (July 31, 2024).