Now that the election is over, it is crucial to stay focused in the weeks ahead. Senate leadership must prioritize confirming every judicial nominee, as each one will play a critical role in safeguarding our rights under a new Trump administration.
The impact former president Trump had on the federal judiciary is undeniable. He appointed a wave of partisan judges who have since undermined critical protections for voting rights, health care decisions, environmental safeguards, and civil liberties. This is precisely why confirming fair-minded judges has been a top priority for the Biden administration. In fact, they’ve continued to make progress on this front, most recently nominating two new district court judges.
Now, with President-elect Trump set to return to the White House with a loyal Senate majority backing him, he will have another opportunity to further stack the courts. |
The stakes couldn't be higher. If Senate Democrats leave vacancies open, they are leaving them wide open for Trump and a Trump-loyalist Senate to fill. So why haven’t Senate Democrats prioritized the remaining Biden judicial nominees? Now is not the time for recriminations. But leaving Biden’s nominees unconfirmed would be nothing short of a betrayal to the American people. We cannot, and will not, relent in pushing Senate leaders to make time for these critical votes. Unfortunately, the courts may be our last line of defense against a radical, lawless agenda in the long four years ahead.
Will Democratic Senators be remembered for doing all they can to defend our rights and uphold the rule of law — or will they be part of the reason why our constitutional guardrails crumble? Over the coming weeks, the Senate will have the opportunity to confirm some truly exceptional judicial nominees, and they ALL deserve a vote. There are no controversial Biden nominees when one compares them to the types of nominees – like Matthew Kacsmaryk and Aileen Cannon – that we know will be nominated in the second Trump administration. The choice is clear: vote to confirm Biden’s exceptional nominees now or be held accountable later for leaving vacancies for Trump to fill.
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We were pleased to see the confirmation of April Perry (N.D Ill.) and Jonathan Hawley (C.D. Ill.) earlier this week! Judge Hawley, prior to serving as a magistrate judge for the Central District of Illinois, was a phenomenal jurist with 15 years of public defense experience. Judge Hawley’s confirmation will bring important professional diversity to the federal bench.
This morning, we were excited that the Senate Judiciary Committee voted Ryan Park (4th Cir., N.C.) and Sharad Desai (D. AZ) out of committee. They now join the 15 other exceptional nominees waiting for a vote on the floor. This afternoon, Leader Schumer filed cloture on Mustafa Kasubhai (D. Ore.), Sarah Russell (D. Conn.), and Rebecca Pennel (E.D. Wash.) lining all three of these movement lawyers up for votes on the floor next week. And just a few minutes ago, the Senate voted 49-44 to invoke cloture on Embry Kidd (11th Cir., FL), which lines him up for a merit vote first thing next Monday. This is all good progress, but the Senate will need to move much faster on judicial nominations in December if they are going to get all the outstanding nominees across the finish line.
These are all the exceptional nominees that Senate leaders must prioritize in the weeks ahead. |
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Holding Court: Minority Rule
On Tuesday, November 12, Alliance for Justice had a conversation with Ari Berman, the national voting rights correspondent for Mother Jones and the author of Minority Rule: The Right-Wing Attack on the Will of the People – and the Fight to Resist it.
Berman discussed the challenges facing American democracy and what can be done to safeguard our fundamental rights. You will find a recording of this conversation HERE! |
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