Biden’s Push for More Latino Federal Judges

The Senate this week confirmed Bradley N. Garcia to be a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, making him the first Latino nominee confirmed to that influential circuit.

The big picture: Garcia’s appointment is part of a broad push by the Biden administration to appoint more Latinos to the courts. {snip}

• Civil rights organizations, like the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF), have long pushed Biden to nominate more Latinos to the federal bench, arguing that failing to have equal representation reduces people’s’ faith in the courts.

Details: With Garcia’s confirmation, 27 Hispanic men and women have been confirmed as federal judges under President Biden, according to the White House.

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• Just 7.7% of federal judges in 2022 were Hispanic, a slight increase from 6.5% in 2020, according to the American Bar Association. Latinos are 19% of the U.S. population.

{snip} “Brad Garcia has spent much of his career defending civil and human rights,” says Lena Zwarensteyn, senior director of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights’ fair courts program.

• Zwarensteyn said Garcia’s appointment brought the judiciary closer to reflecting the nation’s diversity.

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