Majority Leader Schumer Floor Remarks On The Senate Confirming The 100th Judicial Nominee Of The Biden Administration
Washington, D.C. – Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) today spoke on the Senate floor on today’s confirmation vote for President Biden’s 100th judicial nominee Judge Gina Méndez-Miró and the historic work of the Senate Democratic majority in confirming diverse, well-qualified judges to the federal bench. Below are Senator Schumer’s remarks, which can also be viewed here:
Today, the Senate reaches a major milestone as we confirm the 100th—the 100th—judicial nominee of the Biden Administration.
That’s 100 judges who will bring balance and excellence to the federal bench.
One hundred judges who’ve expanded the diversity and dynamism of the judiciary.
One hundred judges who embody the best of our justice system: experience, fair-mindedness, and most of all, fidelity to the Constitution.
Today’s nominee, Judge Gina Méndez-Miró, is remarkable in her own right. Judge Méndez-Miró, nominated to serve as a district Judge for the District of Puerto Rico, would make history as the first openly LGBTQ member of that court. That is something to celebrate, something to be proud of, something that shows America can, little by little, live up to its promise of opportunity for all, regardless of his or her background.
Judge Méndez-Miró is already a deeply respected member of the Puerto Rican Court of Appeals and I am confident she will make an excellent district court judge.
Whenever we reach a milestone like today’s, it is as good an opportunity as any to pause and evaluate everything we’ve accomplished and what it means for our country.
Today, because of the work done by this majority, our federal judiciary is far more balanced, far more diverse, far more experienced than the one we had just two years ago. And it’s something every American can be proud of.
This Senate has confirmed more judges by this point in a president’s term than either of the previous two administrations.
Of the 100 judges, 76 are women. Seventy six! Today only about one-third of active federal judges are women, so this is a sorely needed step in the right direction, readdressing what has been a time-old imbalance.
Sixty-eight of these judges are people of color, 33 Black judges, 25 Black Women judges, 21 from Hispanic backgrounds.
We confirmed the first Muslim American federal judge in US history.
And of course, of course, we confirmed the first Black Woman ever to sit on the United States Supreme Court—Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson.
And diversity, can take many forms. Justice Jackson, for instance, is also the first public defender to ever to bear the title of “Justice.” It is no small feat to confirm the first-ever Justice who knows firsthand what it’s like to defend the rights of the accused.
And perhaps more than any other point in history, our bench today has more public defenders, more civil rights lawyers, election lawyers—people who’ve understood average folks as they walk through their lives.
From Myrna Perez—who directed the Brennan Center for Voting Rights and Elections, to Holly Thomas—who led DOJ’s Civil Rights Division, to Nina Morrison—the former senior litigator of the Innocence Project—these judges are the kind of heavy-hitters who, until now, rarely made it to the federal bench.
We Democrats are proud, very proud that we’re changing that.
Diversity, is something we are all proud to celebrate, but it’s not diversity on its own that matters here.
If our democracy is to prosper in the 21st century, the American people must have confidence that our federal courts can faithfully adhere to the principle of equal justice under law.
The more our judges reflect our nation’s vibrancy and diversity, the more effective they will be in administering equal justice.
The more Americans look at our courts and see people who look like them and come from their backgrounds and share similar experiences, the better off our judicial system will be.
Now, that does not change the obligation of judges who have to apply the law fairly, impartially, equally. On the contrary, I believe diversity enhances the court’s ability to rule impartially. So you can bet that we will continue in this effort.
I want to thank all of my colleagues who worked so hard in the last two years to confirm these remarkable judges. I want to thank my Republican colleagues who worked with us as well, because their support has made this milestone possible.
And of course, above all, I want to thank my colleagues on the Judiciary Committee, particularly Chairman Durbin for his leadership in seeing these judges through the nomination process.
And as a sign of what’s to come, last week Senator Durbin led the Judiciary Committee to advance another twenty-four—that’s twenty four new judicial nominees!
The Senate will keep going to confirm even more judges to the bench as quickly as we can. When we began our majority, I said judges would be one of our top priorities in this chamber, and we have kept that promise.
And we’re going to continue to work in the months and years ahead to come to ensure our courts advance the cause of equal justice under for every single person in this country.
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