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Hailed by many as historic, President Joe Biden’s first list of judicial nominees brings needed balance to the federal judiciary in multiple ways. Out of the 11 nominees, nine are women.
Four Black women made the list of judicial nominees, including former public defenders and civil rights attorneys, showing Biden has heeded progressive calls and kept his own promises to diversify federal judges’ legal backgrounds.
“This list powerfully affirms that nominees who are racially diverse and whose professional background reflects a broad range of practice are available to serve on the federal bench,” Sherrilyn Ifill, the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund President and Director-Counsel said in a statement. “Such diversity will greatly enhance the judiciary and judicial decision-making.”
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It has been at least a decade since a Black woman has been nominated to a federal court of appeals. Only eight Black women have served overall.
Here’s some more information about the Black people who Biden has nominated to the federal court.
Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson listens to arguments in Washington, D.C. | Source: The Washington Post / Getty
Biden nominated Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson as Attorney General Merrick Garland’s replacement on the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. Since 2013, Jackson has served as a judge for the U.S. District Court of the District of Columbia.
She was also once a clerk for Justice Stephen Breyer. Jackson was also a public defender for a time. According to NPR, Jackson was vice-chairperson for the U.S. Sentencing Commission, working “to reduce the draconian penalties that had been in place for crack cocaine.”
In a decision ordering a Trump advisor to testify before a House committee, Jackson put the former president in his place on the subject of immunity. “Presidents are not kings,” wrote Jackson. “In this land of liberty, it is indisputable that current and former employees of the White House work for the people of the United States.”
Source: Biden Nominated 5 Black People To Be Federal Judges, And 4 Are Women
