9th Circuit Sign-On Letter of Support for Jennifer Sung

The Honorable Richard Durbin, Chairman
Senate Judiciary Committee
CC: U.S. Senate

Dear Chairman Durbin:

The 53 below organizations in the states located in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit write to strongly support the confirmation of Jennifer Sung, President Biden’s eminently qualified judicial nominee for the Ninth Circuit.

We are enthused that President Biden, working with Senators Wyden and Merkley, nominated Ms. Sung. A graduate of Yale Law School, Ms. Sung clerked on the Ninth Circuit itself and has extensive litigation experience in courts across the country. She currently serves with distinction on the Oregon Employment Relations Board where she is known as a fair-minded and unbiased adjudicator who consistently demonstrates the thoughtfulness and temperament needed to be an exceptional federal judge.

Moreover, Ms. Sung’s professional background and legal expertise as a labor and employment lawyer would bring much needed professional diversity to the federal bench. Over the course of her career, Ms. Sung has advocated on behalf of workers, consumers, immigrants, people of color, and persons with disabilities – individuals with few other places to go or people to advocate for them in the face of illegal exploitation. We are extraordinarily confident that, if confirmed, she will work to protect the rights of all persons in our states. This form of professional expertise and lived experience is all too rare for federal judges and it embodies the highest ideal of our justice system. The people of our states deserve a fair, unbiased judge who will ensure “equal justice for all” in the Ninth Circuit, and Ms. Sung is that person.

Ms. Sung will also bring important racial and gender diversity to the bench. If confirmed, Ms. Sung would be President Biden’s first Asian American nominee to serve on an appellate court, and the first person from the Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) community to serve on the Ninth Circuit from Oregon. Ms. Sung also would be only the third AAPI woman to serve on any federal Circuit Court. The states and territories of the Ninth Circuit are remarkably diverse, and we are heartened that her confirmation will increase this representation on the court.

The judges on the Ninth Circuit have a tremendous impact on our communities. Their decisions are often the final word on our Constitutional rights and whether critical legal protections are properly upheld. These include cases involving protections for workers, consumers, the environment, communities of color, women, LGBTQ people, persons with disabilities, reproductive health care, and those involved in our criminal justice system. While the United States Supreme Court decided fewer than 80 cases last year, the Ninth Circuit ruled on over 10,000. The judges on that court, serving for life, play a vital role, and we are confident that Ms. Sung has the qualities necessary to be a remarkable jurist.

Given her outstanding qualifications, the Senate should expeditiously confirm Jennifer Sung to the Ninth Circuit.

Signed,

Alliance for Justice
Alaska State AFL-CIO
Arizona AFL-CIO
California Employment Lawyers Association
California Labor Federation, AFL-CIO
California League of Conservation Voters
California Teachers Association
Center for Biological Diversity
Demand Justice
Earthjustice
Hawaii State AFL-CIO
Hawaii State Teachers Association
Idaho Education Association
Idaho State AFL-CIO
Indivisible California Green Team
Indivisible East Bay
Indivisible Northern Nevada
Indivisible South Bay LA
Indivisible Ventura
LAANE
League of Conservation Voters
Legal Aid at Work
Make the Road Nevada
Mi Familia Vota
Montana Conservation Voters
Montana State AFL-CIO
Mt Diablo Education Association
National Council of Jewish Women CA
National Council of Jewish Women
National Council of Jewish Women WA State
National Employment Lawyers Association
Nevada Conservation League
Nevada State AFL-CIO
Nevada State Education Association
Normal Heights Indivisible
Northwest Immigrant Rights Project
Oregon AFL-CIO
Oregon Education Association
Oregon League of Conservation Voters
Organizing For Action – Contra Costa
People’s Parity Project
Pride At Work – WA North, Mt. Kulshan Chapter
Pride at Work Sacramento
Rooted in Resistance
Service Employees International Union (SEIU)
Stand UP Alaska
The Alaska Center
Ventura Indivisible
Washington Conservation Voters
Washington Education Association
Washington Environmental Council
Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO
Western Environmental Law Center