TRANSCRIPT: Majority Leader Schumer Delivers Remarks At Press Conference Celebrating Major Milestone 200th Federal Judge Confirmed Under President Biden

Washington, D.C. – Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) today spoke at a press conference to celebrate Senate Democrats' milestone of 200 diverse and well-qualified federal judges being confirmed under President Biden's administration. Below are Senator Schumer’s remarks, which can also be viewed here:

"I want to thank Chair Durbin and all of the Senate Democrats on the Judiciary Committee. They've done amazing work, Dick Durbin will get into the details, but this is an incredible milestone.

“This is a great day for America because we have expanded the judiciary. We have 200 lifetime appointments, and those are people who are going to really bring more justice and more diversity and more credibility to the bench. So it's a happy day for America, a very happy day for America.

“200 judges confirmed to lifetime appointments under President Biden and this Democratic majority, 200 judges who are restoring balance and excellence to our courts, 200 judges increasing the diversity and dynamism of our judiciary, and 200 judges who are committed to applying the law fairly, impartially and equally.

“You know, in the past, most of the people who got on the bench, or all too many, were white male partners of big fancy law firms. That's changed. Of these 200 judges, we are so proud, two thirds are women, 127. Two thirds are people of color, 125. Both had been traditionally underrepresented on the bench. We're catching up. We’ve got a ways to go, but the bench for too long didn't look like America. It only looked like a portion of America. And now we are expanding to realize that all of America should be on the bench, with federal judges who have such power.

“We're making our courts look more like America, something we can all be proud of. Over twice as many women and three times as many people of color confirmed under the last administration. More Black judges, more Latino judges, more Asian American judges. The first Muslim American man and woman on the bench, the first Navajo federal judge, and of course, the first Black woman to sit on the United States Supreme Court, Ketanji Brown Jackson. And there's not just demographic diversity. There's professional diversity, as I said, not just partners in big law firms and prosecutors. We have public defenders. We have legal aid lawyers, we have consumer lawyers, immigration lawyers, lawyers who have represented all kinds of people who deserve representation on the bench. We've confirmed more judges who are committed to preserving voting rights and upholding the rights of workers and families and immigrants. "We have labor lawyers on the bench, too.

“In other words, we've confirmed more judges who embody the very ideal of America, a place where rule of law is protected, where the rights of all are honored, and where everyone, everyone gets a fair shake.

“And I want to take this opportunity just to talk a little about New York, where I'm very proud Senator Gillibrand and I have worked so hard together. We have confirmed, since President Biden took office, the Senate has confirmed 17 well-qualified judges to serve on the federal bench. Eunice Lee, the second African-American woman ever to serve on the Second Circuit, Nusrat Chowdhury, the first Muslim woman and the first Bangladeshi on the federal bench ever. Ali Nathan, only the second openly LGBT woman to be confirmed on any Circuit Court, and just the fourth gay out Circuit Court judge ever. Of our 17 judges in New York, 12 are women, 11 are judges of color and come from professions previously unrepresented. Dale Ho, one of the brilliant voting rights lawyers in America from the ACLU's Voting Rights Project. Myrna Perez, daughter of Mexican immigrants, from the Brennan Center of Justice, the second Hispanic woman to serve on the Second Circuit, the first being Judge Sotomayor. Nina Morrison, formerly an attorney for the Innocence Project and one of two openly LGBTQ district judges in the Eastern District.

“Finally, the people behind me, led by Chair Durbin, deserve tremendous credit. You know, the Judiciary Committee's often a contentious committee. You've got a couple of the people from the other side who always like to pick fights. But these folks have been stalwart, stalwart in sitting through them and making sure these judges are confirmed. The Judiciary Committee has done an amazing, amazing job. I salute them."

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