Schumer, Durbin, Klobuchar Celebrate Confirming 200 Judges Since Biden Took Office

5/23/2024

Democratic Senators celebrate the confirmation of 200 judges since President Biden took office.

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00:00 I think you should.

00:02 You should.

00:04 Okay, first, I want to thank Chairman Durbin and all -- it said he's going first, but he said I could go first.

00:15 So I'm thanking them in advance.

00:18 I want to thank you for your great remarks.

00:20 No, it doesn't say that.

00:22 I want to thank Chair Durbin and all of the Senate Democrats on the Judiciary Committee.

00:27 They've done amazing work.

00:29 Dick will get into the details, but this is an incredible milestone.

00:33 This is a great day for America because we have expanded the judiciary.

00:39 We have 200 lifetime appointments, and those are people who are going to really bring more justice

00:49 and more diversity and more credibility to the bench.

00:54 So it's a happy day for America, a very happy day for America.

00:58 200 judges confirmed to lifetime appointments under President Biden and this Democratic majority.

01:04 200 judges who are restoring balance and excellence to our courts.

01:09 200 judges increasing the diversity and dynamism of our judiciary.

01:15 And 200 judges who are committed to applying the law fairly and partially and equally.

01:22 You know, in the past, most of the people who got on the bench, or all too many,

01:27 were white male partners of big fancy law firms.

01:31 That's changed.

01:33 Of these 200 judges, we are so proud.

01:36 Two-thirds are women, 127.

01:39 Two-thirds are people of color, 125.

01:42 Both have been traditionally underrepresented on the bench.

01:48 We're catching up. We've got a ways to go.

01:51 We've been on the bench for too long.

01:53 It didn't look like America. It only looked like a portion of America.

01:57 And now we are expanding to realize that all of America should be on the bench

02:03 with federal judges who have such power.

02:06 We're making our courts look more like America, something we can all be proud of.

02:11 Over twice as many women and three times as many people of color confirmed under the last administration.

02:18 More black judges, more Latino judges, more Asian American judges,

02:22 the first Muslim American man and woman on the bench,

02:25 the first Navajo federal judge, and of course,

02:28 the first black woman to sit on the United States Supreme Court, Katonji Brown Jackson.

02:33 And there's not just demographic diversity, there's professional diversity.

02:38 As I said, not just partners in big law firms and prosecutors.

02:42 We have public defenders. We have legal aid lawyers.

02:45 We have consumer lawyers, immigration lawyers,

02:49 lawyers who have represented all kinds of people who deserve representation on the bench.

02:57 We've confirmed more judges who are committed to preserving voting rights

03:01 and upholding the rights of workers and families and immigrants.

03:04 We have labor lawyers on the bench, too.

03:07 In other words, we've confirmed more judges who embody the very ideal of America,

03:14 a place where rule of law is protected, where the rights of all are honored,

03:17 and where everyone, everyone gets a fair shake.

03:23 And I want to take this opportunity just to talk a little about New York, where I'm very proud.

03:28 Senator Gillibrand and I have worked so hard together.

03:31 We have confirmed since President Biden took office,

03:36 the Senate has confirmed 17 well-qualified judges to serve on the federal bench.

03:42 Denise Lee, the second African-American woman ever to serve on the Second Circuit.

03:47 Nusrat Chowdhury, the first Muslim woman and the first Bangladeshi on the federal bench ever.

03:53 Allie Nathan, only the second openly LGBT woman to be confirmed on any circuit court

03:59 and just the fourth gay out-of-the-circuit-court judge circuit ever.

04:03 Of our 17 judges in New York, 12 are women,

04:11 11 are judges of color and come from professions previously unrepresented.

04:16 Dale Ho, one of the brilliant voting rights lawyers in America from the ACLU's Voting Rights Project.

04:22 Myrna Perez, daughter of Mexican immigrants from the Brennan Center of Justice,

04:28 the second Hispanic woman to serve on the Second Circuit, the first being Judge Sotomayor.

04:36 Nina Morrison, formerly an attorney for the Innocence Project

04:40 and one of two openly LGBTQ district judges in the Eastern District.

04:45 Finally, the people behind me, led by Chair Durbin, represent tremendous, deserve tremendous credit.

04:53 You know, the Judiciary Committee is often a contentious committee.

04:57 We got a couple of the people from the other side who always like to pick fights,

05:01 but these folks have been stalwart, stalwart in sitting through them

05:07 and making sure these judges are confirmed.

05:09 The Judiciary Committee has done an amazing, amazing job.

05:12 I salute them and I want to call on their great leader, Chairman Durbin, to say a few words.

05:18 Thanks, Chuck.

05:21 This is an exciting and historic moment.

05:24 When you think about the credibility of our courts from the Supreme Court on down,

05:30 it's not because they own an army to enforce their will.

05:34 It certainly isn't because they have billions of dollars in media budgets to bend public opinion.

05:40 It's their integrity and credibility that's at stake.

05:44 When we were given this opportunity under President Biden to fill the vacancies in the federal judiciary,

05:50 we, of course, looked to him first for guidance.

05:53 He asked us, and I think we've met his request, to bring more diversity to the federal courts.

05:59 When you walk into a courtroom and your freedom and your business and your family's interests are at stake,

06:06 you'd like to look up there and see a judge that you believe really understands your way of life,

06:11 your plight in life, what you face.

06:14 That means more diversity, black, white, and brown, women, people,

06:18 minority groups that were not represented in the federal courts.

06:21 We set out to do that, and we did it, achieving 200 today and more to follow.

06:26 I hope many more the rest of this year.

06:29 It's been -- yes, I hope it is heard by someone.

06:34 [laughter]

06:35 But the bottom line is it was not an easy task.

06:38 In the first two years of the Biden administration, we were an evenly divided Senate, an evenly divided committee,

06:44 and one of our members, our dear friend Dianne Feinstein, was sick many days and couldn't make it to the committee.

06:50 We still managed to achieve this goal with her cooperation and her heartfelt interest all the way.

06:56 We've also had an amazing challenge to make this a bipartisan approach.

07:03 Ninety percent of the judges that have been approved were with bipartisan roll calls.

07:07 Three-fourths of those roll calls for the circuit court had bipartisan roll call support.

07:15 So we've done our best.

07:16 And I've reached out to many Republicans, some of whom I really didn't know very well,

07:20 and said let's work together with the White House and see if we can fill vacancies.

07:24 I was fortunate even under the Trump administration to fill -- with Terry Duckworth to fill every vacancy in Illinois under that administration.

07:31 You can do it if you're willing to compromise and willing to really work together, and that has happened.

07:36 So where do we go from here?

07:37 Well, with these new members of the judiciary, we have about 20 percent of the federal judiciary will be brand new under President Biden.

07:44 We're going to continue his challenge to come up with diversity, to come up with the kind of leaders that will make a difference for the future of America

07:51 and the credibility of the bench.

07:53 I could go through my nominees as Chuck had, and I have great pride as Senator Duckworth has.

07:58 We have tried to find our very best using a professional panel.

08:01 But I'd like to call at this point Fatima Gross-Graves, president and CEO of the National Women's Law Center.

08:07 [Applause]

08:15 Good morning.

08:16 I'm Fatima Gross-Graves, president and CEO at the National Women's Law Center,

08:21 and I'm really thrilled to join here today to mark this important confirmation of the 200th judge committed to equal justice under the law.

08:31 For us, it's more than a number.

08:34 It represents a significant step forward, and I want to just echo the number that Senator Durbin put out there of two-thirds of those confirmations being women.

08:46 So we commend the Biden administration, Leader Schumer, Senator Durbin,

08:52 all of the members of the Senate Judiciary Committee who have been working so hard, and the entire Senate who shared a commitment to a fair and impartial judiciary,

09:05 a judiciary that's poised to protect the rights of those who are most vulnerable members of our society.

09:12 It's been really inspiring to see these unprecedented numbers, especially of women, particularly of women of color.

09:20 We've seen the historic appointment, of course, of Justice Katonji Brown Jackson just two years ago.

09:25 We've seen the confirmations of dozens of civil rights lawyers, of former public defenders.

09:31 We've seen confirmations that we really believe are essential to creating a judiciary that will protect all of our rights and that will reflect the diversity of this country.

09:42 This milestone is a testament to our dedication to building a judiciary that serves all of us,

09:47 but we also know that the work is not done, and we won't stop until every judicial vacancy is filled with judges who embody fairness,

09:55 who embody integrity and a commitment to justice.

09:59 And our democracy and our courts are at such a critical crossroads.

10:04 We need a federal judiciary filled with fair-minded, filled with ethical judges who are poised to protect our democracy and the civil rights

10:15 that we have fought so very hard to achieve.

10:19 And in our view, time is of the essence to fill every single judicial vacancy with nominees who bring valuable lived experience,

10:27 valuable professional experience to the bridge.

10:30 The federal courts, they shape the lives of people in this country every single day,

10:34 from the workplace, from their ability to access the health care they need in their own communities.

10:40 Our future really depends on these confirmations.

10:43 Every judicial seat matters for our communities, for our rights, and for our future.

10:48 So we look forward to working with the White House and with the senators who are here today

10:53 and those who are not to continue prioritizing, filling all remaining judicial vacancies with fair and impartial nominees

11:03 who are committed to equal justice, who are committed to gender justice.

11:07 Our communities depend on this.

11:09 We look forward to working with you all.

11:11 We are celebrating this 200th, and we are urging us all together to keep going.

11:16 Thank you very much.

11:18 [applause]

11:20 I'd like to call on my colleagues on the committee who have just done an amazing job.

11:25 This committee is a challenge because you have to be physically present, sitting in your seat, to vote for one of these nominees.

11:31 So attendance is a critical element.

11:34 I want to call in order of seniority, first from the state of Minnesota, Senator Klobuchar.

11:39 Well, thank you very much, Senator Durbin.

11:41 As they say in the Senate, everything's been said but I haven't said it.

11:45 And I am just so pleased that we have gotten these excellent judges on the bench.

11:51 And I think the numbers that Senator Durbin provided you on how the vast number of them were, in fact, bipartisan.

11:59 I think you hear a lot about the partisan fighting in Washington for good reason.

12:04 But despite having senators of vastly different ideological backgrounds on the committee,

12:10 when we got to the floor, we were always able, for the most part, to pick up support, not in every time.

12:16 But we made the case, and you only do that if you have qualified nominees.

12:20 So I specifically want to thank President Biden for putting forward such qualified nominees that, yes,

12:28 have made this the most diverse slate of judges in the history of America, who brought us Ketanji Brown-Jackson,

12:36 an incredible leader of the judiciary, but who also picked up bipartisan support for these judges.

12:43 And it's been an honor to be on the committee.

12:45 We've got a number of Minnesota judges here.

12:47 I'm not going to name them all, but one of them includes Jerry Blackwell,

12:51 who was the lead prosecutor in the George Floyd murder case of Chauvin.

12:59 And he is now serving on the federal bench along with several other very qualified nominees.

13:04 And I want to thank you, Senator Durbin.

13:05 Thanks, Amy.

13:07 Daisy Arora.

13:11 Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

13:12 Today we had another what I would call a kabuki kind of hearing.

13:16 We had five nominees, all women, and, again, reflecting the diversity of our country.

13:22 And if you put yourself in the shoes of the parties who come before these judges to see the judge sitting there

13:29 reflecting really the diversity of our country, it's really important to the litigants and to the parties.

13:36 So I do want to mention that we have another first in Hawaii.

13:39 We have the first Native Hawaiian female judge ever serving in the federal judiciary.

13:46 So that's what we do.

13:48 And I thank the chairman for his leadership.

13:52 Peter Welch is new to the committee and has been a terrific asset.

13:57 Peter.

13:59 Well, I really want to thank Chairman Durbin for acknowledging the hard work of showing up and sitting in your chair.

14:08 It's like called a J-O-B, right?

14:11 We were all happy to do it.

14:13 Whatever had to be done, we wanted to hit that 200 and keep going.

14:16 So thank you.

14:17 But, number one, we have to have a strong judiciary that has integrity, a commitment to justice,

14:25 that takes the rights of citizens very seriously, protects their freedoms under the Constitution.

14:31 And we have done a good job getting that restoration of balance.

14:36 A long way to go, but this is terrific.

14:38 Secondly, we've talked about the diversity.

14:42 You know what's so magnificent?

14:44 We are finding qualified people from every community that makes up America.

14:48 They are, like, smart.

14:50 They have a record of public service and real commitment.

14:54 They have put their ability to serve, their desire to serve, ahead of a careerist opportunity,

15:02 oftentimes where they make an awful lot more money.

15:05 And it comes from across the country, people of color, LGBTQ, former public defenders.

15:11 I'm one, but they have not been really represented.

15:14 So it's been terrific.

15:16 It's been very, very wonderful for me as a new committee member to play a supporting role.

15:20 And I just -- all of us commend Senator Durbin.

15:24 And his style and approach allowed us to get a significant amount of cooperation from the ranking member,

15:29 and that's all attributable to you.

15:31 But it gives, I think, all of us some confidence that these are really qualified people on the level

15:37 and are going to be great public servants.

15:38 Thank you.

15:39 Thanks, Pete.

15:40 [Applause]

15:42 Jessalyn McCurdy is Executive Vice President for Government Affairs at the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights.

15:47 [Applause]

15:51 Thank you, Senator Durbin.

15:52 I'm so glad to be here alongside my coalition partners and our Senate champions today on this historic day

16:00 200 judicial confirmations.

16:04 We are so pleased and have worked so tirelessly with our champions and our coalition partners

16:10 to ensure that judicial confirmations from the Biden administration have gotten across the finish line.

16:17 For decades, the civil rights community has been at the forefront of this work

16:21 because we know that each confirmation of a judicial nominee who is dedicated to equal justice

16:28 makes a difference in the lives of people who appear in the judges' courtroom

16:32 and to all of us who are impacted by the decisions that these judges make.

16:38 Today, with the important leadership of President Biden, Chair Durbin, the Senate Judiciary members,

16:45 and Majority Leader Schumer, we have pushed for and secured the confirmation of historic numbers of women,

16:52 people of color, and other judges who have long been excluded from the federal bench.

16:59 And crucially, more than 40% of the 200 confirmations have been of judges with significant experience

17:08 protecting and advancing civil and human rights.

17:11 We have made it clear civil rights lawyers, public defenders, and other lawyers from professional,

17:18 diverse backgrounds belong on the federal bench.

17:23 But the truth is, while 200 nominations is a historic milestone, we can't stop here.

17:30 We urge the White House and Senators to fill all remaining judicial vacancies

17:36 with diverse, qualified nominees who are committed to civil and human rights.

17:42 And we urge the Senate to confirm the diverse and tremendously qualified nominees

17:47 who are pending on the Senate floor.

17:49 For the future of equal justice, for the future of fundamental rights,

17:53 for the future of a multiracial democracy, this work must be a priority.

17:59 Communities across the nation depend on federal courts and federal judges

18:04 to fairly administer justice for all people in America.

18:08 And we just must do everything to ensure that they can fulfill that promise.

18:15 Thank you very much.

18:17 [applause]

18:21 Senator Blumenthal of Connecticut is a member of the committee.

18:24 I give him an invitation to say a few words and say some good things about the chairman.

18:28 Right this way.

18:33 I am really honored and privileged to serve with Senator Durbin

18:41 and my other colleagues on the Judiciary Committee.

18:44 You know, I spent most of my life in the courtroom as a litigator,

18:51 as a federal prosecutor, United States Attorney in Connecticut,

18:54 and then as Attorney General of the state of Connecticut for 20 years.

18:58 When I'm asked my occupation, what I say is trial lawyer.

19:03 So I know firsthand what a difference a good judge makes, fair and smart.

19:13 A judge who understands America, not just one strata or one segment of America,

19:21 but all of America.

19:24 And those kinds of people are the 200 that have been nominated and confirmed by this president.

19:34 I'm so proud to be a part of that legacy.

19:38 And when all is said and done, when all of our accomplishments are measured,

19:45 our legacy will be these 200 judges and the others whom we will confirm.

19:51 And the reason is they will continue to serve.

19:54 When my four children appear in court, they're all becoming, or are lawyers, proud of them.

20:03 They will be appearing before these judges.

20:06 Well after I am gone, these judges will continue to serve justice.

20:14 They are literally the face and voice of justice in America.

20:21 And they are one of the biggest achievements of this Congress and this administration.

20:28 And I just want to thank all of the advocates and activists for holding our feet to the fire.

20:36 Yes, they are the reason, or a good part of it, that we're doing what we're doing.

20:45 They are holding our feet to the fire.

20:48 They are holding a high standard.

20:50 They are demanding action and integrity.

20:56 And let no one doubt that it's taken a lot of work to do it.

21:01 I want to credit my great colleague, Senator Durbin, as chairman,

21:06 because I can tell you behind the scenes, as well as publicly, he has pushed relentlessly.

21:13 He has given us no quarter.

21:16 He is relentless.

21:19 And it is a tirelessness on behalf of justice that will be, I hope, all of our legacy, certainly his.

21:29 And I am really proud to stand here today.

21:33 Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

21:35 Thank you.

21:37 Wrapping up the program is Marge Baker.

21:39 She's executive vice president of People for the American Way.

21:41 Marge.

21:43 Thank you.

21:44 Thank you so much.

21:45 I am so pleased to be here.

21:46 And thank you, Senator Blumenthal, for recognizing the coalition's work on this.

21:52 I'm proud to be here with my colleagues.

21:53 And I see a number of members of the coalition here.

21:56 And it has been truly an effort, a wonderful effort, that has gotten us to this point with the tremendous assistance of Senate Judiciary Committee Chair,

22:07 Senator Durbin, Senate Majority Leader Schumer, and, of course, members of the committee who are really there

22:14 and really continuing to stay there and do the hard work that it takes to get this done.

22:18 So congratulations to all of you and to us and to President Biden on this exceptional achievement.

22:25 Courts matter.

22:27 Who sits on our courts matters.

22:30 The American people know in their gut the role the courts play in their everyday lives, in the health and well-being of their families,

22:40 from access to abortion care to IVF treatments to gun safety to clean air and water to our rights as workers and consumers,

22:47 our right to be free from discrimination and our fundamental right to vote.

22:52 They know the role the courts play in their lives, and they know it matters how much it matters to have fair-minded judges on the bench,

23:04 judges with a demonstrated commitment to equal rights and justice for all, not just for the privileged and powerful.

23:11 They know how important the milestone we celebrate today is and how important it is for the President and the Senate

23:20 to continue filling our courts with excellent and fair-minded judges.

23:25 The quality of the 200 Biden judges confirmed so far is absolutely stunning.

23:31 They are brilliant, professionally diverse, in tune with the experiences of real people,

23:37 record numbers with backgrounds as public defenders of civil rights and public interest service.

23:43 Nancy Abudu, Nicole Berner, Ariana Freeman, Dale Ho -- I won't go on, I've only got a few minutes here, but it's huge.

23:50 Two-thirds are people of color, two-thirds women, more black women added to our appeals court than in all previous administrations combined,

23:58 including the first black woman on the Supreme Court, Batonjee Brown Jackson.

24:03 So thank you, President Biden, Senator Durbin, Senator Schumer, who had to leave, senators on the committee, thank you so much.

24:10 This is a record to be proud of and to build on.

24:13 There's so very much more to do.

24:16 We have stellar nominees in the pipeline, Adil Mange, Nancy Maldonado, Amir Ali, Mustafa Qasabi, Sarah Russell,

24:22 Dina Coggins from California, who we expect to be confirmed this afternoon as the 201st confirmation.

24:28 So we actually may -- we will get to 201 today, this afternoon.

24:34 Rebecca Pinnell, Brian Murphy, and no doubt similarly stellar nominees.

24:39 So let's celebrate this exceptional milestone and dedicate ourselves to completing the job.

24:45 We fill every vacancy we possibly can because the people deserve justice and fairness from our courts.

24:52 So thank you so much.

24:56 Moments before the lawnmower chops us up.

25:00 I want to thank all my colleagues and the supporters who have come out today.

25:03 It is an amazing achievement and we're just getting started.

25:06 Thank you all very much.

25:08 [Applause]

Schumer, Durbin, Klobuchar Celebrate Confirming 200 Judges Since Biden Took Office

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