More than Nominal Progress

Of the five judicial nominees named by the Biden administration on February 21, five are women, three are people of color, two are sitting judges, one is professionally diverse, and one is a movement lawyer.  

We are particularly excited to share news of the nomination of Judge Nancy Maldonado, of the District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, to the Seventh Circuit. AFJ supported Judge Maldonado’s nomination and confirmation to the district court and looks forward to seeing her ascend to the appellate bench, where she will hear appeals from Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin.  

The firm at which Judge Maldonado practiced before becoming a federal judge in 2022, Miner, Barnhill, and Galland, is a civil rights powerhouse. Its most famous alumnus? President Barack Obama. During her time there, Judge Maldonado focused on labor and employment law, a vital but underrepresented area of expertise when it comes to the federal judiciary. She was also the first Latina to serve on the federal bench in Illinois and will, upon confirmation, be the first Latina on the Seventh Circuit.  

More Good News

The Biden administration and Senate allies made tremendous strides toward a better, more diverse judiciary last year. AFJ has released a report detailing that progress: Courting Change: 2023 Momentum for Movement Law. Catch the highlights in Ms. — and share them via Twitter/X! — or just keep reading... 

Fifty-nine individuals were nominated to the federal bench in 2023. A stunning 24 were people of color, 25 were women, and 34 were professionally diverse. Backing up, of the 166 judges confirmed over the first 3 years of the Biden administration, 108 are women, 78 are women of color, 37 served as public defenders, and 24 have practiced civil rights law. 

Apropos of Black History Month, AFJ notes that a strong majority of the 57 Black judges who joined the federal judiciary between 2021 and today are women, including the Supreme Court’s first Black woman justice, Ketanji Brown Jackson. Even more remarkable: 13 of the 14 circuit court judges nominated by Biden and confirmed by the Senate are Black women. Among these appointees are the first Black women to sit as judges on the Courts of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, Third Circuit, and the Fifth Circuit. 

Last year’s historic confirmations included that of Judge Nancy Abudu — who is not just the first Black woman but the first person of color to sit on the Eleventh Circuit — and Judge Nusrat Choudhury, of the Eastern District of New York, who became the first Muslim woman to serve as a federal judge.  

Senate Priorities

Recess is over! Which means it's time for the Senate to advance the nominations of Nicole Berner, to the Fourth Circuit, and Adeel Mangi, to the Third Circuit. They’ve been waiting for 108 days already.  

What’s the rush?  

A quintessential movement lawyer who’s been part of groundbreaking litigation as an LGBTQ+ parent seeking recognition of her family as well as in her capacity as counsel to major reproductive rights and labor advocacy groups, Berner will be the first LGBTQ+ judge on the Fourth Circuit. Mr. Mangi, another award-winning litigator, will be the first Muslim federal appellate court judge.  

Tune in, Catch up, and Sign on! 

In addition to launching a new podcast, AFJ President Rakim H.D. Brooks spoke with Dr. Juliet Hooker, author of Black Grief/White Grievance: The Politics of Loss for our Holding Court series last week.  

In her new book, Dr. Hooker, the Joyce Family Professor of Teaching Excellence in Political Science at Brown University, examines how Black grief and white grievance shape racial politics in the United States. She explains how current events, like the Black Lives Matter protests, continue a historical pattern of Black citizens making heroic sacrifices to expand U.S. democracy. She also addresses how white supremacy has fostered expectations of political rule in white citizens that make it difficult for them to accept legitimate political loss—and what all of this means for the future. 

Missed us on StreamYard? Visit our YouTube channel for Rakim’s conversation with Juliet and past conversations. 

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