Demand Justice Announces New Series of Briefs on the State of the Lower Federal Courts

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SEPTEMBER 3, 2024

CONTACT: [email protected]

Three Issue Briefs Will Focus On Judicial Nominations and the Current Makeup of  of the Lower Courts

Washington, DC– Today Demand Justice released the first of three briefs in a series titled The State of Our Courts. These briefs highlight the makeup of the lower courts and the current state of judicial nominations in the Senate while calling on lawmakers to prioritize judicial confirmations through the remainder of 2024. 

The briefs will focus on professional diversity in the courts, reforms like lower court expansion and blue slip reform, and the role that the next president could have in shaping the powerful Courts of Appeals. 

The first, which details professional diversity as well as diversity in regard to general and race on the U.S. Courts of Appeals, can be found here. The brief explores the significant progress on diversity seen in recent years while noting particular statistics that demonstrate where improvement can still be realized in the years ahead. For example, despite historic progress under the Biden administration, the number of female appellate judges is still well under their share of the population overall. 

“The data presented in these briefs demonstrates the need for lawmakers to continue to prioritize confirming a diverse set of accomplished nominees,” said Demand Justice Managing Director Maggie Jo Buchanan. “Americans turning to our district and circuit courts for justice deserve to face judges with a range of personal and professional experiences who will consider their cases fairly and without bias. 

President Biden and Leader Schumer have done excellent work bringing us closer to a judiciary that represents the diversity of our nation, but there is still much work to be done.” 

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