John,
As we prepare to gather with family and friends to officially kick off the holiday season, there is plenty to be thankful for on Capitol Hill. In addition to the successful passage of the bipartisan infrastructure law, this week marked more good news in our streak of history-making judicial nominations. Here’s the latest.
The Good News: Recently Announced Nominations
This week President Biden announced another slate of Court of Appeals nominees and we’re particularly excited about Allie Nathan (New York).
Judge Allison Nathan has been nominated to the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit in New York. She has already spent ten years serving as a federal district court judge in the Southern District of New York. If confirmed, she will be the second openly lesbian woman to serve as a federal appeals court judge, following the historic confirmation of Judge Beth Robinson, who was confirmed on November 1st. She also clerked for the late, great Justice John Paul Stevens.
Additionally, Victoria Calvert and Sarah Geraghty were recently nominated to fill open seats in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia.
Victoria Calvert is currently a staff attorney in the district court’s Federal Defender Program. Before that, she was an associate at Atlanta’s King & Spalding firm. She would be the second Black female judge on the district court and its first former federal defender
Sarah Geraghty is senior counsel of the Southern Center for Human Rights, an organization that has been involved in lawsuits regarding the conditions and treatment of incarcerated people in Georgia. Prior to that, she served as a staff attorney in an appellate defender’s office in New York.
Pay Attention: Pending Confirmations to Watch
The following two excellent nominees are awaiting consideration by the Senate Judiciary Committee:
Judge Holly Thomas currently serves on the Los Angeles County Superior Court and has been nominated for a seat on the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. Prior to serving as a judge, Thomas had experience as a civil rights attorney, a prosecutor, a litigator, a criminal law attorney, and a civil law attorney. She would be the first Black woman from California to ever serve on the Ninth Circuit and only the second Black woman to ever serve on the court. Learn more.
Justice Gabriel Sanchez was the first male Latino ever appointed to the California Court of Appeal, First Appellate District. For many years, Justice Sanchez represented indigent individuals, tenants, undocumented students, and farmworkers, and he has made significant contributions to criminal justice reform. Learn more.
The Clock: Biden’s Progress Toward Filing Every Seat
We are delighted by the phenomenal pace at which the Administration is moving and the overall caliber of the of nominees. The nominees represent the experiential and demographic diversity needed in our courts. They are public defenders, civil rights attorneys, and labor practitioners. They are Black women, Asian American, LGBTQ+, and the children of immigrants; and they are filling long-standing gaps in representation in their respective jurisdictions. Our advocacy has helped to make this possible.
Still, we are grappling with the devastating impact of Trump-era ultra-conservative judges. All over our country, they are threatening decades of precedent and turning our Constitution upside-down. That is why it remains vital that the President and Senate work to fill every seat. Today, there are still 70+ judicial vacancies that do not have a nominee, as well as over 30 pending nominees.
So, we ask that you stay focused. Join us as we continue to press for this vibrant array of judges who will undoubtedly strengthen our democracy. While Congress plows through their extensive list of policy to-dos and we all start the count-down to the big dinner, we can only hope they are prepping end-of-year treats in the form of more swift confirmations.
Happy All-i-days!
|
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.
Alliance for Justice
11 Dupont Circle NW
Suite #500
Washington, DC 20036
United States