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

Congress is back in session this week. The Senate Judiciary Committee (SJC) kicked off the work session with a hearing on Tuesday. This progress is great news, especially considering that the slower pace of confirmations has been more complicated by the current health concerns of Senator Feinstein. We continue to pressure Leader Schumer to follow through on commitment to move nominees who are currently pending on the floor.

Additionally, we continue to learn more about Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas’s corruption through Pro Publica’s reporting [[link removed]] on his relationship with Republican billionaire Harlan Crow. Not only has Thomas received lavish vacations that he didn’t disclose, but he also sold property to Crow totaling $133,363 — despite having listed the value of the property as “$15,000 or less” in financial disclosures just years before.
The revelations of Justice Thomas’s corruption undermine not only any trust we might have in his ability to fairly interpret the law but also our trust in the Supreme Court’s ability to fairly administer the law. It’s time for Supreme Court judicial ethics reform to prevent this kind of rampant corruption. The integrity of the Court and the rule of law are at stake.

The Good News
[link removed] [[link removed]]
The April 18th SJC hearing included Darrel Papillion (E.D.La.) [[link removed]] and Judge Brendan Hurson (D.Md. ) [[link removed]] . Both nominees will make excellent additions to the federal bench. Mr. Papillion has spent his career advocating for injured workers, survivors of sex abuse and their families, and fighting voter disenfranchisement. A lifelong public servant with deep ties to Maryland, Judge Hurson will bring both judicial and federal public defense litigation experience to the federal district court bench.

Late last week, the White House announced the nomination of two new circuit court judges. Both are Latina, bringing important diversity to the federal bench that has been particularly lacking.
Judge Ana De Alba, nominated to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, was confirmed as a district judge last year and previously served on the Superior Court of California in Fresno County. She will be the fourth Latina judge to serve on the Ninth Circuit after having been the first Latina judge on the Eastern District of California. She also has a background in employment discrimination and harassment cases and well as immigrants’ rights. De Alba’s parents were Mexican immigrants, and she was a first-generation high school graduate.

Judge Irma Carrillo Ramirez, nominated to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, has served as a magistrate judge for the Northern District of Texas since 2002. President Obama nominated her to the U.S. District Court for that district in 2016, but her nomination expired without a confirmation. Also, the daughter of Mexican immigrants, Judge Ramirez would be the first Latina to serve on the Fifth Circuit and its only Latinx judge.

We are encouraged to see these accomplished Latina judges elevated to these important judgeships. This is a step in the right direction to address how very far behind we are in ensuring Latinx representation on our courts, particularly in regions with significant Latinx populations like these two circuits. Hopefully this signifies there are more to come!

What's Next

Based on all the recent reporting, we strongly believe that at the very least, Justice Thomas should resign [[link removed]] . Additionally, AFJ has called [[link removed]] on Congress to take all appropriate action to investigate Thomas’s corruption and the effect it has had during his long tenure as a justice. We applaud Chairman Durbin for taking the appropriate first steps and we encourage any and all reasonable measures be taken to ensure Thomas’s resignation before he can further sabotage our democracy in favor of the wealthy and powerful.

Donate today to help us keep up The Rush. [[link removed]]
[[link removed]]
[link removed] [[link removed]] [link removed] [[link removed]] [link removed] [[link removed]] www.afj.org [www.afj.org] [link removed] [[link removed]] [link removed] [[link removed]]
You are receiving this email because you opted in via our website or have attended one of our events. If you believe you received this message in error or wish to no longer receive email from us, please unsubscribe: [link removed] .
Alliance for Justice
11 Dupont Circle NW
Suite #500
Washington, DC 20036
United States