President Biden Has Made Choosing Diverse Federal Judges a Priority

The Senate confirmed 97 federal judges during President Biden’s first two years in office, setting records for the sheer numbers of jurists and their diversity.

In the end, federal courts may be one of Biden’s deepest legacies, since judges often get the last word on what the law means and how it plays out in people’s lives.

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White House lawyer Paige Herwig says the effort is a “sea change” designed to make the courts look like the rest of America.

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“Our federal judiciary will finally begin to reflect the diversity of this country and the diversity of experiences that Black women in particular can bring to the bench,” said Janai Nelson, president of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund.

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The area of professional diversity has been another focus of Biden’s judge machine: picking lawyers with experience representing individual clients.

“They’re public defenders representing people accused of crimes; they’re civil rights lawyers; they’re lawyers who are representing people who might have been discriminated against or harmed by defective products,” said Christopher Kang of the group Demand Justice, which advocates for court reform and progressive-leaning judges.

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That imprint “is one that might be the most durable in his entire legacy as a president,” added Nelson, of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund.

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