CHICAGO - Last week the Senate confirmed its 150th federal judge under the Biden-Harris Administration. Illinois’ own Senator Dick Durbin, chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, played a key role in filling the vacancies and ensuring that the bench is filled with judges who are dedicated to fairness and impartiality, the rule of law, and the Constitution.
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The appointments also mark significant progress in diversifying the judicial arena, delivering on President Biden’s promise to confirm judges from an array of personal and professional backgrounds. 100 of the appointed judges are women, nearly double the number of women judges appointed under the Trump administration, and 98 are people of color. The President’s appointees “come from professional backgrounds that have for far too long been underrepresented on the bench—from labor and immigration attorneys to public defenders and civil rights lawyers.”
President Biden extended his thanks to Leader Chuck Schumer, Senator Durbin, and all of the senators who worked across the aisle to reach this milestone.
In a speech last week, Senator Durbin emphasized the strong qualifications of the new judges, a stark contrast to the Trump years, when “Senate Republicans confirmed eight Trump nominees who were found unqualified to serve on the federal bench by the American Bar Association.”
“The American people deserve federal judges who not only look like America—but understand what it means to be an American. That is an important part of our work that began under President Biden—and it’s the work we must finish. We celebrate these 150 judges, and we will continue elevating jurists who are qualified, principled, and committed—above all—to protecting our Constitutional rights. The American people deserve nothing less,” said Senator Durbin.
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