Judicial Nominations Hearing Forecasts Exciting Year Ahead

WASHINGTON, D.C., December 13, 2023 - Today the Senate Judiciary Committee held its last judicial nominations hearing of 2023, featuring several nominees with incredible records. Despite some aggressive questioning from Senate Republicans, the nominees demonstrated their exceptional qualifications and temperaments. This hearing forecasts how many exciting nominees could be yet to come in 2024.

Nicole Berner, nominated to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit (Maryland), brings important diversity and legal experience to the bench. A Jewish, LGBTQ+ woman with triple citizenship (U.S., United Kingdom, and Israel), Berner has dedicated much of her career to representing labor unions and working people as SEIU General Counsel. As Alliance for Justice noted in a 2022 report, only about 6% of federal judges have backgrounds in labor law and economic justice. Berner also previously worked for Planned Parenthood Federation of America bringing lawsuits to protect reproductive rights.

Adeel Mangi, nominated to the U.S Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit (New Jersey), is a Muslim, South Asian dual citizen (U.S. and United Kingdom) born in Pakistan. He has extensive experience as a litigator and is renowned for his work representing the Muslim community in civil rights suits. Mangi would become only the third Muslim American to serve on the federal courts and the first ever to serve on any United States Court of Appeals.

Among the district court nominees was Judge Amy Baggio, nomination to the U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon, who will join the already impressive roster of former public defenders President Biden has nominated to the federal bench.

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

"What an exciting hearing to close out the year. Nicole Berner and Adeel Mangi are exactly the kind of spectacular nominees we need on the federal bench. While the administration has currently fallen behind the number of judges President Trump had confirmed by this point in the term, the quality of these nominees remains impressive and we know they are committed to catching up. There is important work to be done in 2024 to continue filling all vacancies with more movement lawyers like these, not only to surpass the Trump administration in quantity but also to make history."