In the News

The Federal Judiciary Needs More Latino Judges

Authors Maritza Perez and Ben Hernandez-Stern discuss the lack of racial diversity among the Trump administration's judicial nominees and its negative impact on the nation's justice system.

The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, which covers Texas, will soon be without a single Latino judge on the bench after President Trump’s recent nomination of Judge Edward Prado to serve as the ambassador to Argentina. Judge Prado’s replacement — serving a state where nearly four in 10 Texans are Latino — will not be Latino.

Approximately 90 percent of President Trump’s judicial nominees have been white. Prado’s departure, and subsequent non-diverse replacement, highlights the administration’s practice of passing over well-qualified Latino judges for seats on the federal bench, at a time when the country and the practice of law have become increasingly diverse.

The above excerpt was originally published in The Hill. Click here to view the full article.

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Authors

Maritza Perez

Senior Policy Analyst

Benjamin Hernandez-Stern