Demand Justice Statement on Biden and Senate Democrats Confirming 40 Judges in 2021

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

December 18, 2021

CONTACT: [email protected]

WASHINGTON, DC— Following the Senate’s confirmation of President Biden’s 40th judicial nominee, Demand Justice Chief Counsel Christopher Kang released the following statement:

“President Biden and Senate Democrats have ushered in a new era of Democrats finally giving judicial nominations the attention they deserve. Biden and Schumer not only shepherded more confirmations in Biden’s first year than any president in recent history, they have led a revolution in the way Democrats think about who should serve as judges by selecting lawyers who have represented everyday people as public defenders, civil rights lawyers, and union-side labor lawyers. This historic approach should give confidence to judges who are eligible to retire that their vacancies will be quickly filled in the new year with judges who will bring balance to our federal courts.”

In his first year in office, Biden has won confirmation for more judicial nominees than any president since Ronald Reagan and by far the most of the modern era of judicial nomination politics. Compared to Biden’s 40 nominees, other recent presidents won confirmation for: Trump (19), Obama (13), W. Bush (28), Clinton (28). The Senate has also already invoked cloture on two additional circuit court nominees set to be confirmed in the new year.

Biden has not only quickly nominated highly-qualified lawyers; he has also nominated a remarkably diverse set of judges, both in terms of their race and gender and also in terms of their professional backgrounds. Of the 40 judges confirmed, 32 are women, 27 are people of color, 21 are women of color, and 27 are professionally diverse, including 15 former public defenders.

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