Law360: Wash.’s Newest Federal Judge Is Breaking Barriers
This excerpt is from a piece that originally ran on March 2, 2023.
The U.S. Senate’s confirmation on Tuesday of Jamal Whitehead to a federal judgeship in Washington marks the Biden administration’s first judicial confirmation of an individual with a known disability. It also stands out as a milestone for Whitehead’s family, who endured the racist policies of the Jim Crow era.
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Rakim Brooks, president of the progressive judicial advocacy group Alliance for Justice, which represents 148 public interest and civil rights organizations, lauded Whitehead’s selection.
“As a Black man with a disability, Mr. Whitehead will bring much needed diversity to the federal judiciary,” Brooks told the Senate Judiciary Committee in a letter, adding that upon Whitehead’s confirmation, “the federal judiciary will better reflect the diversity of our nation and the perspectives of the disability community.”