Saunders praises diversity and pro-worker records of first Biden judicial picks

WASHINGTON — AFSCME President Lee Saunders released the following statement about the Biden-Harris administration’s first judicial nominations:

“President Biden’s initial picks for appointments to the bench are very encouraging. These individuals, all highly accomplished with the strongest possible credentials, have demonstrated throughout their careers a commitment to fair-mindedness. Among them are judges who have strengthened the rights and freedoms of working people, like Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, who issued a 2018 ruling blocking an attempt by the Trump administration to decimate the collective bargaining rights of federal employees.

“President Biden understands the importance of having judges with a connection to the communities that will be affected by their rulings. These nominees – all but two of whom are women – reflect the nation’s full racial, ethnic and cultural diversity. And they will bring that experience to the decisions they render on issues like health care, voting rights, immigrant justice, labor protections and much more.

“For too long, the federal courts have been vehicles for wealthy corporations and the most privileged Americans to rig the system further in their own favor. With these nominations, we can begin to reverse course and move closer to a judiciary fully committed to equal justice for all.

“I congratulate these outstanding nominees and urge the Senate to move quickly on their confirmations.”