WASHINGTON, DC– The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law stands in strong support of the nomination of Julie Rikelman to the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit. Ms. Rikelman has continually demonstrated a commitment to equal justice under law and is exceptionally well qualified to serve as an appellate judge for the First Circuit.
As an attorney, Ms. Rikelman has abundant experience and a reputation for working on a wide range of legal matters with distinction. The Lawyers’ Committee has had the pleasure of working closely with her on the most important civil rights and civil liberties issues of our day. These thoughtful and enlightening exchanges, often in high-pressure situations, underscore her keen intellect and innate ability as a jurist. She is incredibly well suited to join the federal judiciary based on her temperament, judgment, and deep knowledge.
“Julie’s legal career has been inspiring and accomplished. Her extensive and superlative record makes her preeminently qualified to serve on the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit,” said Damon Hewitt, President and Executive Director of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. “As a judge, Julie would bring much-needed diversity and life experience to the federal appellate bench and, if confirmed, would be both the first immigrant woman to serve on the First Circuit, as well as the first Jewish woman. We applaud and wholeheartedly support her nomination.”
“Julie Rikelman immigrated from Ukraine with her parents at the age of six. She fled extensive discrimination and sought equal treatment under the law in America,” said Alex Ault, Policy Council for the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. “Julie has experienced poverty, lived on food stamps, and navigated the legal and immigration systems firsthand. Her life experience would help make the judiciary more representative and reflective of America.”
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About the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law – The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization, formed in 1963 at the request of President John F. Kennedy to mobilize the nation’s leading lawyers as agents for change in the Civil Rights Movement. Today, the Lawyers’ Committee uses legal advocacy to achieve racial justice, fighting inside and outside the courts to ensure that Black people and other people of color have the voice, opportunity, and power to make the promises of our democracy real. For more information, please visit https://lawyerscommittee.org.
