WASHINGTON, DC– The Senate Judiciary Committee voted Thursday to advance five of President Biden’s judicial nominees to be considered by the full Senate. The nominees are Julie Rikelman for the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, Nancy Abudu for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, Dale Ho for the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, Nusrat Choudhury for the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York, and Natasha Merle, also for the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York. These individuals were renominated by President Biden last month after the Senate failed to vote on their appointment to the bench last session.
Damon Hewitt, president and executive director of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law: “We support the advancement of these nominees—for their legal skill and the perspectives they will bring based upon their experience in civil rights litigation—our nation’s most complex and impactful body of law. The federal judiciary should include more judges with experience representing and protecting the rights of Black and Brown communities who have sacrificed so much for our country. The incredible slate of nominees hails from some of the most important civil rights organizations of our time. They have worked alongside the Lawyers’ Committee to make the promises of our great democracy real for all Americans, making our nation stronger in the process. These experienced civil rights attorneys also reflect the racial, ethnic, and gender diversity that is sorely lacking in the federal judiciary.”
Zha’Mari Hurley, associate policy counsel for the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law: “Natasha Merle, Nancy Abudu, Julie Rikelman, Nusrat Choudhury, and Dale Ho have been awaiting confirmation since the last Congress. Now it is time for the Senate to finish the job. Further delay would deprive our courts of the important perspective and deep skill sets. Their addition to the bench would help make our judiciary more reflective of America and representative of its ideals.”
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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.
