Following the news of Justice Stephen Breyer’s impending retirement, AFJ is ready to fight for the historic confirmation of our nation’s first Black woman Supreme Court justice. This is a critically important moment for our movement, and we are dedicating this issue of The Rush to highlighting the Black women nominees that have made history this last year.

The Biden administration is not backing down on their promise of bold picks. We look forward to the same boldness with the SCOTUS nominee. Thanks to Biden’s strong work thus far, there are several remarkably qualified Black women with a deep commitment to social justice who were recently confirmed in the federal circuits. Each of these women are primed to be elevated to the Supreme Court. We will be sending additional updates on the full list of potential nominees soon, but here are four appellate judges Biden put on the bench to watch out for:

Ketanji Brown Jackson – Jackson was confirmed last year to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit and a former public defender;
Candace Jackson-Akiwumi – Akiwumi is a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit who spent 10 years as a public defender and has significant civil litigation experience;
Eunice Lee – Lee was confirmed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit last year and also spent her career as a public defender in New York City; and
Holly Thomas – Thomas was confirmed last week to serve on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and spent her career as a civil rights champion.

The Good News: Recent Nominations

The latest group of nominees included three nationally renowned civil rights champions and two public defenders, and they represent a firm commitment to equal justice for all that will help change the face of our democracy. Here are just two of the incredibly talented attorneys that were announced on January 19, 2022:

Arianna Freeman (3rd Cir., PA): Freeman is a public defender and the eighth Black woman Biden has nominated as a federal appellate judge, matching the total number of Black women who have ever served as federal appellate judges. If confirmed, she will become the first Black woman (and first woman of color) to ever serve on the Third Circuit.

Natasha Merle (E.D.N.Y): Merle is deputy director of litigation at the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund.

What’s Next? Continuing the Charge!

While all eyes will of course now shift to the White House in anticipation of the big SCOTUS announcement, we cannot let other seats move to the backburner. Next week, on February 1, 2022, we will see the much-anticipated hearing of two more Black women nominees:

J. Michelle Childs (D.C. Circuit)
Nancy Abudu (Eleventh Circuit)

These picks are exciting because they are nominated to critical jurisdictions that hear monumental civil rights and regulatory cases with profound implications for millions of people. We are bracing for a difficult hearing for Abudu, who currently works at the Southern Poverty Law Center, and has already been targeted for attack by Right-wing groups.

There’s so much magnificent work ahead. Thanks for joining us on this journey!

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