Washington, D.C. — On Monday, January 11, the U.S. Senate confirmed Judge Luis Felipe Restrepo to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit. He will be just the second Latino to serve on the 3rd Circuit. He was nominated to the 3rd Circuit in November 2014 but was not confirmed for more than a year. Judge Restrepo is the first judge to be confirmed in 2016. Neera Tanden, President of the Center for American Progress, issued the following statement on the matter:
We applaud the Senate leadership for the confirmation of Judge Restrepo, a talented judge who brings experience as a public defender and district court judge to the 3rd Circuit. However, even with today’s action, the United States is experiencing the worst obstruction of judicial nominations in more than half a century, leading to unprecedented delays in justice and to the largest backlog of civil cases in history. CAP encourages the Senate to continue confirming experienced, fair judges who represent all of America to fill the 76 remaining federal court vacancies.
Last year, the Senate Republican leadership failed to hold a vote on any circuit court judges, leading to nine circuit court seats remaining vacant. To prevent further delays of justice, we urge home-state senators and the Senate leadership to swiftly nominate and confirm diverse, fair, and experienced judges to the bench. After more than a year of inaction, Congress should spend 2016 filling the vacancies that ensure all Americans have equal access to justice.
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For more information or to speak to an expert on this topic, please contact Tanya S. Arditi at [email protected] or 202.741.6258.
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