“#With respect to U.S. #District #Court positions, we are particularly focused on nominating individuals whose legal experiences have been historically underrepresented on the federal bench, including those who are public defenders, civil rights and legal aid attorneys, and those who represent #Americans in every walk of life,” #Remus wrote in the letter, which was obtained by The #Hill.
#Recent presidents of both parties have filled the judiciary with former prosecutors, lawyers who primarily come from prestigious law firms specializing in representing big corporations or some combination of the two.
A 2014 study from the progressive group #Alliance for #Justice (AFJ) found that former #President #Obama had contributed to the trend. #According to AFJ, 85 percent of #Obama’s nominees up to that point were corporate attorneys, prosecutors or both.
The letter from #Remus is a victory for the advocates who have been pushing #Biden to approach judicial nominations differently from his #Democratic predecessors.
#Christopher #Kang, a co-founder of the progressive group #Demand #Justice, applauded the move and pushed #Democrats in the #Senate to honor it.
“This letter also sets the right tone with #Senators, who have traditionally had an outsize—although often under-scrutinized—role in judicial nominations, and can be the source of delay or recommend too many lawyers from over-represented backgrounds, such as corporate law firms and prosecutors’ offices,” he added. “#Now, #Senators are on notice that they must follow #Biden’s lead and must provide multiple, timely recommendations of lawyers who would restore balance and legitimacy to our courts.”
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https://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/532164-biden-team-asks-senate-dems-to-recommend-public-defenders-civil
##Biden #team #asks ##Senate ##Democrats #recommend #public #defenders #civil #rights #lawyers #federal #bench