Demand Justice Statement on Biden Doubling Number of Public Defender and Black Women Circuit Court Judges in All of American History

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

September 29, 2022

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WASHINGTON, DC— On Thursday, the Senate confirmed Arianna Freeman to the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. With Freeman’s confirmation, President Biden has now doubled both the number of Black women and the number of former public defenders to ever serve as federal appeals court judges in all of American history. 

Demand Justice Chief Counsel Christopher Kang said: “Judge Freeman is the quintessential Biden judge; as a Black woman, she brings a critical perspective that has been underrepresented on the bench for far too long, and as a public defender, she has seen the legal system from the perspective of people without money and power.”

“President Biden has done more than any president in history to bring the full diversity of America to our courts and to ensure that more of our judges have experience representing Americans from all walks of life and not just the wealthy and powerful. He has put an end to the expectation that Democratic presidents will default to appointing corporate lawyers and prosecutors, and he has done it with a greater proportion of women and people of color than any president before him.”

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