President Joe Biden and Senate Democrats have worked to pass a major milestone in approving the 100th district court nominee. That marks 139 federal judgeships in total under the Biden administration. We celebrate Biden being on track to fight back against Donald Trump’s massive amount of damaging judicial appointees thanks to the largest appointment of judges with public defender experience and a slate that stands out in its diversity.
Federal judges rule on and influence public policy every day. They make decisions about health care, reproductive rights, bodily autonomy, voting rights, the environment, LGBTQ+ rights, civil rights, and more. These decisions can impact our lives as well as the lives of future generations.
It is vital that Biden and Senate Democrats continue to approve judges who inspire confidence that our rule of law serves the interests of all people, not just some. We must keep going in order to restore balance to the courts.
Sign the petition: Keep up the judicial nominees—we’re doing great!
Biden promised to ensure that the nation’s courts reflect our diversity, both in terms of personal and professional backgrounds. Diversity on the bench means representation on the bench.
Eleven of Biden’s 28 circuit appointees are Black women, compared to eight for all his predecessors. Biden and Senate Democrats appointed the first Black woman to serve as a justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. Biden and Senate Democrats have helped approve the most women, the most people of color, the most LGBTQ+ judges, and the most judges who have professional backgrounds representing people rather than corporations.
PBS News Hour reported: “The nominations send a powerful message to the legal community that this kind of public service is open to a lot of people it wasn’t open to before,” Ron Klain, the White House chief of staff, told The Associated Press. “What it says to the public at large is that if you wind up in federal court for whatever reason, you’re much more likely to have a judge who understands where you came from, who you are, and what you’ve been through.”
We continue to support and applaud the nominations and appointments of experienced legal minds who ensure our courts reflect the communities they serve, despite some roadblocks.
Republicans used Sen. Dianne Feinstein's absence earlier this year to delay judicial confirmation. They continue to block nominees via blue slips, poignantly in key states where right-wing extremists use federal courts to litigate countless civil and human rights in an authoritarian power grab.
Despite that, Biden continues to nominate qualified judges and the Senate must continue to confirm the nominations. We continue to support this fight as it is far from over, we say. Now let’s keep approving judges for more representative, fairer courts!
Sign the petition to President Biden and Majority Leader Chuck Schumer: Thank you for a job well done approving judges. Keep up the good work and let’s keep fighting to reshape our courts.