Calling all fans of democracy! Check out AFJ President Rakim Brooks’ latest op-ed - “Conservatives Have Been Packing the Courts for Years” - in Democracy Docket! It highlights the long campaign conservatives have waged to take over our courts, and the urgent need for a more forward-thinking judiciary filled with movement lawyers who want to see progress for our nation. Read the full article.
Now, when the Senate returns from the summer recess, the pressure will be on to ramp up the pace of judicial confirmations. Although the Biden administration has confirmed 76 Article III judges, there are more than 100 judicial vacancies remaining — meaning there’s a lot more work to be done to re-shape the federal judiciary.
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The Good News: Senate Prepares to Go Full Steam Ahead on Judicial Confirmations
There are currently 56 pending judicial nominees, including 18 nominees who are ready for final votes before the full Senate. Senate Democrats must move the nominees forward before it’s too late. If Republicans win back the Senate this November, judicial confirmations are likely to come to a standstill. It’s vital that Senate Leadership and the entire Democratic Caucus are ready to double down on judges in September by scheduling as many judicial hearings as possible, lining up full panels, and making time on the executive calendar for confirmation votes early.
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Pay Attention: More Champions For Equality Nominated
On July 29th and August 9th, the White House announced two more slates of nominations to the federal district and circuit courts. We are particularly excited about these champions for equality: -
Julie Rikelman, nominated to the U.S Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, is an experienced civil rights litigator who has served as U.S. Litigation Director for the Center for Reproductive Rights for the past decade. She argued both June Medical Services v. Russo and Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization before the Supreme Court. Though the extremists on the Trump Court overturned Roe v. Wade, Rikelman’s work shows a deep commitment protecting our constitutional rights, and that couldn’t come at a more important time.
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Araceli Martínez-Olguín, nominated to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, would bring tremendous experience protecting immigrants’ rights to the federal bench. She currently serves as a supervising attorney at the National Immigration Law Center, where she has fought to defend the employment rights of immigrant workers and litigated DACA cases for those trying to keep their families together. If confirmed, Martínez-Olguín would be only the second Latina to serve on this court.
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What's Next: Continuing the Push for More Economic Justice Judges
Alliance for Justice is hosting a virtual briefing to discuss our recent report on the need for more labor and economic justice judges on the federal bench. It will take place on Wednesday, September 7th at 3:00 PM ET for interested partners and allies. The briefing will feature an overview of the report’s findings and analysis from report author Jennifer Hunter. It will also feature remarks from Alice O’Brien, General Counsel to the National Education Association, who will address why adding more economic justice judges to the federal bench is so important for the labor movement.
Please register to attend. We look forward to you joining us! |
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