Most of the nominees are women

United States (US) President Joe Biden has made an historic move to bring much needed balance to the federal judiciary, announcing his picks for judges, which includes five blacks among the 11 nominees, who are mostly women.

Out of the 11 nominees, nine are women. Four Black women made the list of judicial nominees, including former public defenders and civil rights attorneys. Political analysts say this move is an indication that Biden is heeding progressive calls and honouring his own promises to diversify federal judges’ legal backgrounds.

It has been at least a decade since a Black woman has been nominated to a federal court of appeals. Only eight Black women have served overall. 

Biden had pledged to nominate a Black woman to the Supreme Court when a vacancy arises. Many groups see the nominations as a step toward nominating a Black woman to the nation’s highest court. 

Such diversity will greatly enhance judiciary, judicial decision-making

NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund President Sherrilyn Ifill notes that, “this list powerfully affirms that nominees, who are racially diverse and whose professional background reflects a broad range of practice are available to serve on the federal bench. Such diversity will greatly enhance the judiciary and judicial decision-making”.

Biden nominated Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to replace current Attorney General Merrick Garland on the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. Since 2013, Jackson has served as a judge for the US District Court of the District of Columbia. 

She was reportedly considered for President Barack Obama’s shortlist for US Supreme Court nominees in 2016. Jackson was also a public defender for a time. Civil rights attorney Kimberly Tignor said in a statement that nominating Black women creates a pipeline to the Supreme Court and increases the federal judiciary’s integrity. 

More Black female nominees

Nominee to the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, Candace Jackson-Akiwumi, also served as a federal public defender. Jackson-Akiwumi is the first Black woman and the second person of colour to serve on the court.

She served from 2010 to 2020. Another nominee is patent lawyer Tiffany Cunningham, who is the first Black woman to be appointed to the Federal Circuit Appeals Court. The federal circuit handles claims against the government.

Currently serving on the US Court of Federal Claims, Judge Lydia Griggsby was nominated for the United States District Court for the District of Maryland. Griggsby will make the first Black woman to serve on the Maryland bench.