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Graphic featuring protesters behind the scales of justice, reading ''The Rush: Bolder Action Now: Fill Every Seat'' [[link removed]]

This week marks the one-year anniversary of Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson [[link removed]] ’s confirmation to the United States Supreme Court. Last year, Justice Jackson made history as the first Black woman ever and first public defender to be nominated and confirmed to the United States Supreme Court. Since joining the court, she’s already demonstrated her dedication to protecting equal justice and civil rights. As part of his new series on Democracy Docket, AFJ President Rakim Brooks reflected on [[link removed]] Justice Jackson’s vision for the court, including a constitution that recognizes all people, including people of color, women, and others not acknowledged by the founders.

The Senate is on recess until mid-April, which means that confirmations are on hold for now. However, our advocacy is not. As we prepare to add to the 119 federal judges confirmed under the Biden Administration, it is worth celebrating how much progress we’ve made since 2021. 

The Good News
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We have seen 39 public defenders, 26 civil rights champions, five labor lawyers, 15 plaintiff’s lawyers, and seven consumer protection lawyers confirmed to the federal bench. In a judiciary in which too many jurists can rely solely on prosecutorial or corporate legal knowledge, these judges will help balance our courts with varied legal experience. Further, 84 women, including 51 Black women, have become federal judges under the Biden Administration. This is a tremendous achievement that will pave the way for future women jurists in our federal courts.

Maria Araujo Kahn and Araceli Martinez-Olguin are recent additions to the pool of excellent women jurists on the federal bench.

Maria Araujo Kahn [[link removed]] was confirmed to the United States Circuit Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit on March 9, 2023. In addition to her extensive legal and judicial experience, Judge Kahn brings her the much-needed perspective of an immigrant and disability advocate to the federal courts.

Araceli Martinez-Olguin [[link removed]] was confirmed to the United States District Court for the Northern District of California on February 28, 2023. Martinez-Olguin is one of the nation’s leading immigration attorneys and has spent her entire career advocating for the rights of immigrant workers. She is the second Latina to serve on the U.S.
District Court for the Northern District of California.

What's Next

Even as we celebrate the above victories, it is critical we keep the pressure on to confirm even more qualified judges and fill all vacancies on the bench. T here are still 18 nominees waiting for their confirmation votes , including equal justice champions [[link removed]] like Kenly Kato [[link removed]] and Nusrat Choudhury [[link removed]] . To demonstrate the importance of professional diversity on the bench, the Senate must act swiftly to confirm these nominees. The confirmation of these respected jurists will pave the way for more nominations and confirmations of lawyers with diverse backgrounds, adding to the wealth of knowledge and experience on our courts.

There are over 60 federal judicial vacancies with no nominee. That includes a whopping seven vacancies in Florida and six in Texas. Jurisdictions with full benches see justice delivered in a timely manner, while those seeking justice in circuits and districts with empty seats face an ever-growing backlog of cases. Americans deserve fully staffed courts and there is no time to waste.
We are urging the White House to continue nominating candidates to fill these vacancies, especially vacancies in the approximately 20 district court seats for which we don’t anticipate “blue slip” issues; these states have two Democratic Senators.

Donate today to help us keep up The Rush. [[link removed]]

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