Demand Justice Statement on New Biden Judicial Nominees
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 29, 2022
CONTACT: [email protected]
WASHINGTON, DC— In response to news President Biden has nominated 9 more lawyers to federal judgeships, Demand Justice Chief Counsel Christopher Kang released the following statement:
“The former public defenders, union-side labor lawyers, and civil rights lawyers in this group of nominees show the Biden administration building on its important commitment to professional diversity. In the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision overturning Roe v. Wade, Julie Rikelman brings exactly the kind of experience with reproductive rights we desperately need on the courts.”
“The pressure is squarely on Chairman Durbin to announce a plan to hold enough hearings to consider these nominees, as well as allow the White House to continue making new nominations. There are now nearly twice as many district court nominees awaiting a hearing as there are scheduled hearing slots. The Judiciary Committee will be a bottleneck that will severely limit the Biden judicial legacy unless Durbin announces new hearings, starting with working through August.”
There are now 23 district court nominees awaiting a hearing. The Judiciary Committee is only expected to have 4 more hearings for judicial nominees before the end of this Congress, which would allow just 12 of these district court nominees to be processed, assuming the Committee continues to hear from two circuit and three district court nominees at each hearing.
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