AFJ Applauds Confirmation Of Gabriel P. Sanchez

WASHINGTON, D.C., January 12, 2022 – Today the Senate voted to confirm Gabriel P. Sanchez to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Sanchez has served as a justice on the California Court of Appeal, First Appellate District, where he has ruled on over 500 cases. 

Prior to his time on the court, Judge Sanchez had a wide array of legal experience, including spending time as a clerk on the Ninth Circuit. As a lawyer, Justice Sanchez maintained an active pro bono practice representing disadvantaged and indigent clients, earning the ACLU’s Social Justice Award in 2010.  

As Governor Edmund G. Brown’s Deputy Legal Affairs Secretary, Justice Sanchez played a leading role in implementing a U.S. Supreme Court order for the reduction of California’s state prison population to protect the human rights of incarcerated people and ensure public safety. The program alleviated severe overcrowding in many California state prisons, which violated state regulations and incarcerated people’s constitutional rights under the Eighth Amendment. 

Judge Sanchez is the third of President Biden’s nominees confirmed to the Ninth Circuit this month, following the confirmations of Lucy Koh and Jennifer Sung in mid-December. 

Alliance for Justice President Rakim H.D. Brooks issued the following statement: 

“Judge Sanchez is an incredibly capable jurist who has spent his career advocating on behalf of people who need access to equal justice under the law the most. Whether it was representing disadvantaged and indigent clients or spearheading the reduction of California’s unconstitutionally large prison population, Judge Sanchez is a proven advocate for marginalized communities. 

As only the second Latino judge confirmed to the Ninth Circuit since 2011, his confirmation is also a reminder that Latinx judges are still severely underrepresented in our courts, even as they serve an ever-growing Latinx population. We applaud his confirmation and look forward to President Biden nominating, and the Senate confirming, more Latinx judges of his stature and qualification.”