Senate Judiciary Committee Propels A Dozen Judicial Nominees

WASHINGTON, D.C., January 13, 2022 – At today’s executive business meeting, the Senate Judiciary Committee held votes on a dozen judicial nominations pending from 2021. 

Among those nominees was Dale Ho, nominated to be a district court judge for the Southern District of New York. Ho has an extensive record litigating on behalf of voting rights through his work at the ACLU. He notably led the legal fight at the Supreme Court to block the citizenship question from the census. Ho’s qualifications are unmatched, and he would be the only man from the AAPI community sitting on the Southern District of New York. Due to a party-line split vote, Ho’s nomination will require the extra step of a discharge petition before he advances to a confirmation vote. 

The committee also advanced the nomination of Judge Alison Nathan to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. Judge Nathan has served as a U.S. district judge since 2011, when she was confirmed as only the third openly LGBTQ+ federal judge ever. If confirmed to this seat, she will become only the second LGBTQ+ woman to serve on an appeals court, following Judge Beth Robinson, who was confirmed less than two months ago. In her decade on the court, Judge Nathan has authored 1,546 opinions and has sat by designation on the Second Circuit more than 30 times. She has consistently demonstrated a commitment to equal justice for all, and a commitment to upholding the rule of law. 

The other nominees included: Victoria Marie Calvert (Northern District of Georgia), John H. Chun (Western District of Washington), Sarah Elisabeth Geraghty (Northern District of Georgia), Charlotte N. Sweeney (District of Colorado), and Hernan D. Vera (Central District of California), Anne Rachel Traum (District of Nevada), Cristina D. Silva (District of Nevada), Georgette Castner (District of New Jersey), Ruth Bermudez Montenegro (Southern District of California), and Julie Rubin (District of Maryland). 

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

“Chair Durbin is ensuring that the Senate Judiciary Committee is picking up right where it left off in 2021. It’s remarkable to see so many incredibly qualified judges with a commitment to equal justice advancing. It’s disappointing to see Senate Republicans continuing their efforts to block these nominations, but we are confident they won’t do more than delay their confirmations. We have a lot of vacancies yet to fill this year, but this momentum is a great sign we can accomplish just that.”