John,
We are excited to announce AFJ’s new series, The Rush. Regularly, we will highlight several incredible individuals that President Biden has nominated to the bench; preview upcoming confirmation votes in the Senate; and share AFJ's ongoing advocacy to move nominees from names on a list to judges in robes. Our goal is to celebrate the victories that your support makes possible and to keep you informed just in case we need a hand in ensuring confirmation during a difficult nomination battle. We need every seat filled on the federal judiciary while progress is still possible. We hope you’ll stay tuned.
The Good News: Recent Confirmation Victories
Recently, the Senate confirmed Myrna Pérez (New York) and Beth Robinson (Vermont) to serve as judges on the Second Circuit.
Pérez’s confirmation is yet another historic milestone for the Biden administration as she will be the only Latinx judge serving on the Second Circuit. She has spent her career fighting for voting rights and ensuring every American has an equal voice in every election. Learn more.
Robinson’s confirmation is also historic as the only openly lesbian Court of Appeals judge in U.S. history. She spent her career fighting for equality and justice, paving the way for Vermont to be the first state to recognize civil unions for same sex couples and representing workers, families, and people with disabilities while in private practice. Learn more.
Pay Attention: Pending Confirmations to Watch
Outstanding 9th Circuit nominees Lucy Koh (California) and Jennifer Sung (Oregon) are both awaiting votes by the full Senate.
Lucy Koh has extensive experience as a jurist, and she is widely respected for her subject matter expertise in the realms of privacy, technology, and intellectual property. Prior to joining the bench, Judge Koh had a distinguished career in public service and private practice, where she demonstrated a tremendous commitment to equal justice for all. If confirmed, Judge Koh would be the first Korean American woman to serve as a federal appellate judge and just the third woman from the AAPI community to serve on any U.S. Circuit Court. Learn more.
Jennifer Sung is an incredibly accomplished attorney who has fought on behalf of workers, consumers, immigrants, persons of color, and persons with disabilities. She brings her own judicial experience, having served on the Oregon Employment Relations Board, where she has been adjudicating disputes over unfair labor practices and employment litigation since 2017. Sung would also make history as the first member of the Asian American Pacific Islander community to be nominated and confirmed to the federal bench in Oregon. Learn more.
The Clock: Biden’s Progress Toward Filing Every Seat
President Biden has already seen more judges confirmed in his first year than the past five presidents, and he shows no signs of slowing down. Each new slate of nominees has brought more professional and demographic diversity to our courts. Moreover, we are building a judiciary that reflects the best values of our country.
We must keep up the pace. AFJ will continue to enthusiastically support the nominations of these historic candidates and work tirelessly to get them confirmed. As just one example, we led a sign-on letter for over 53 state-based organizations in the Ninth Circuit to support Jennifer Sung's nomination and are thrilled to see she is one step closer to confirmation.
As last week’s elections demonstrated, time may be limited to ensure the Senate can continue confirming progressive nominees. You can learn more about Sung and these nominees by visiting our Judicial Nominations trackers. If you’re interested in more on judicial nominations advocacy, check out AFJ Action Campaign for tips, news, and more.
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