Dozens of President Joe Biden’s federal judicial nominees have been waiting to be confirmed for months. Some have even waited over a year for full Senate action, stuck between a favorable report out of the Senate Judiciary Committee and a confirmation vote on the full Senate floor.
We know that Congress has myriad priorities to focus on before the end of this congressional term. But confirming Biden’s nominees is important. Ensuring we have full, fair courts that reflect the communities they serve is paramount for our shared goals of equal justice, civil rights, and a stronger democracy.
These six nominees represent the absolute best and brightest in our country. Read on for more and to learn how you can take action to support their nominations.
Rachel Bloomekatz, Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals
Rachel Bloomekatz is a champion for equal justice with extensive experience advocating for voting rights, workers’ and consumers’ rights, constitutional rights, gun safety, and more. Her cases have brought her to brief and argue in front of the Supreme Court of Ohio and the Sixth Circuit, and she has appeared as counsel in 15 U.S. Supreme Court cases. Bloomekatz has been waiting for full Senate action since August.
Sign and send the petition to your U.S. senators: Confirm Rachel Bloomekatz to the Sixth Circuit Court.
Nancy Abudu, Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals
Nancy Abudu is a renowned voting rights expert who has dedicated her career to civil and human rights. She is the current director of Strategic Litigation at the Southern Poverty Law Center and former legal director for the ACLU of Florida. Her many wins include restoring the right to vote for people who have completed their felony sentences. Abudu would be the first Black woman ever to sit on the Eleventh Circuit, a jurisdiction that serves millions of Black people across Alabama, Florida, and Georgia. Her nomination has been stalled in the Senate since May.
Sign and send the petition to your U.S. senators: Confirm Nancy Abudu to the Eleventh Circuit Court.
Nusrat Choudhury, Eastern District of New York
Nusrat Choudhury currently serves as the legal director of the ACLU of Illinois and previously held positions with the ACLU’s Racial Justice Program and National Security Project. She has deep litigation experience in federal courtrooms across the United States, including in the very court to which she is nominated. Choudhury would be the first Muslim woman and the first Bangladeshi American woman to serve on any federal court. She has been waiting on full Senate action since May.
Sign and send the petition to your U.S. senators: Confirm Nusrat Choudhury to the Eastern District of New York.
Natasha Merle, Eastern District of New York
Natasha Merle is the deputy director of litigation at the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund. She previously served as a capital defense attorney in Texas with Gulf Region Advocacy Center and as a post-conviction public defender in Arizona. Merle has a wealth of litigation experience defending civil and human rights and would be the first public defender confirmed to this court in nearly 30 years and the second in its entire history. She would also be the fourth Black woman ever confirmed to the Eastern District of New York. And she makes Fox News mad, so you know she’s on to something. Merle has been waiting on full Senate action since May.
Sign and send the petition to your U.S. senators: Confirm Natasha Merle to the Eastern District of New York.
Judge Hernán Vera, Central District of California
Judge Hernán Vera has served on the Los Angeles Superior Court in the Juvenile Division since 2020 and has a strong history working with public interest organizations, including Public Counsel, the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF), and Consumer Law Project. His lived experience will bring an important perspective to the bench: Hispanic people make up 18.5% of the U.S. population, yet fewer than 9% of active federal judges identify as Hispanic. Vera’s nomination has been stalled in the Senate for nearly a year.
Sign and send the petition to your U.S. senators: Confirm Judge Hernán Vera to the Central District of California.
Dale Ho, Southern District of New York
Dale Ho is a passionate, preeminent voting rights lawyer and advocate and has led the ACLU Voting Rights Project since 2013. He successfully litigated gerrymandering cases in Maryland, argued against discriminatory voting restrictions in North Carolina, and successfully challenged the Trump administration’s attempt to add a citizenship question to the census. Ho would be the only Asian American Pacific Islander man sitting in the Southern District of New York. His nomination has been stalled in the Senate since January.
Sign and send the petition to your U.S. senators: Confirm Dale Ho to the Southern District of New York.
Soon, the Senate Judiciary Committee will vote to advance a number of other nominees, including Julie Rikelman, one of the country’s preeminent abortion rights lawyers. Keep an eye out for another story with more opportunities to take action in the coming weeks.
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