Judges Kasubhai and Park Will Improve and Diversify Our Federal Courts

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Patrick McNeil, [email protected]

WASHINGTON — Lena Zwarensteyn, senior director of the fair courts program at The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, released the following statement after the Senate Judiciary Committee’s hearing on several judicial nominees, including the nominations of Judge Mustafa Kasubhai to the U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon and Judge Shanlyn Park to the U.S. District Court for the District of Hawaii:

“It matters that the Senate Judiciary Committee is continuing to process President Biden’s diverse and qualified judicial nominees. It also matters that these nominees include stellar jurists like Judges Mustafa Kasubhai and Shanlyn Park. As demonstrated during today’s hearing, Judge Kasubhai is deeply committed to equity, inclusion, and fairness in his courtroom. Importantly, he also possesses years of experience defending and protecting the rights of working people. Judge Park has had a tremendously impressive legal career, including spending nearly two decades as a federal public defender — professional experience that remains underrepresented on our federal courts today.

“Both of these nominees would also add critically important demographic diversity to our judiciary. If confirmed, Judge Kasubhai would be the only Muslim Article III judge on the District of Oregon and only the third to serve in our nation’s history. Judge Park would be one of very few Native Hawaiian persons to ever serve as a lifetime federal judge. We also celebrate the diversity that Micah Smith — who also appeared before the committee today — would bring as the first Black judge to ever serve on the District of Hawaii.

“We thank Chair Durbin for holding today’s hearing and urge the full Senate to swiftly confirm these outstanding nominees.”

Read The Leadership Conference’s letters in support of Judge Mustafa Kasubhai and Judge Shanlyn Park.

The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights is a coalition charged by its diverse membership of more than 240 national organizations to promote and protect the rights of all persons in the United States. The Leadership Conference works toward an America as good as its ideals. For more information on The Leadership Conference and its member organizations, visit www.civilrights.org.

###