AFJ Insider - February 2023

Welcome to our rst edition of AFJ Insider: your monthly rundown of everything happening in our organization, our courts, and our ght for equality for all

Every day I am inspired by our network of supporters. Your dedication to the Alliance for Justice is what allows us to continue this important work. Thank you as always for standing with us.

Even in the face of new challenges, we stand rm in our hope for a more just society We hope you will enjoy and share this newsletter with your friends and family

Sincerely,

Rakim

Inside this edition of AFJ Insider:

The 100+ conrmed federal judges under President Biden - incredible progress to diversify our courts

Bolder Advocacy's free resources for nonprots looking to amplify their voice

What AFJ is doing to overcome one of the biggest obstacles we face in conrming judges, the use (and abuse) of the "blue slip."

The tremendous work of our member organization, SIECUS, and much more!

100+ Conrmed Judges Is Amazing Accomplishment

While we celebrate last week’s judicial conrmations that pushed the number of judges conrmed during the Biden administration, we continue to push for as many remaining vacancies to be lled It’s imperative that we all keep ghting for more nominees who will bring important experience as civil rights lawyers and public defenders to the bench

To get a biweekly update on the campaign to ll every seat by 2025, make sure you're signed up for The Rushhere.

Our Growing State Courts Program

Alliance for Justice continues to grow our State Court Justice Project While it may not be a major

federal election year, there are still crucial state supreme court races playing out in Wisconsin and Pennsylvania that will have a huge impact on access to health care, safety, civil rights, the polls, and more Make sure to check out the updated State Courts Hub to learn more about your state’s high court.

Bolder Advocacy's Free Resources for Legislative Sessions

Hit the ground running this legislative session with our freePractical Guidance State Law Resources, designed to help nonprots navigate how lobbying rules may apply to their work. In this Texas legislative session, for instance, nonprots have a unique opportunity to engage in lobbying to ght for legislation, including gun control and reproductive rights.

Kimberly Humphrey Legal Director, Federal Courts

“Whencertaingroupsareapathetic, wealllose....

Ourdemocracycannotfulllitspromisewhenentirecommunitiesarenota partofdecision-making.”

Before coming to AFJ, Kim recognized the negative inuence of Trump but didn’t realize the extent of the harm being done to the courts - even as someone working in the space.

She also saw people in her community who’d lost hope and disengaged from politics completely. And she wanted to change that

After last year’s record-breaking progress on judicial nominations, and the progress already made so far in 2023, Kim has reason to be optimistic, even as she girds for the ght ahead That ght includes challenging the use of the “blue slip” – a relic of the past, like the libuster, which has often been used to block highly qualied judicial nominees specically to oppose the advancement of civil rights.

As we ght to diversify our judiciary, Kim says, we must also ght these procedural impediments designed to curtail the impact of progressive nominees: "Manydonotrealizethatourcourtsdomore thandenethegoodguyandbad–butalsodeneourdailylivessothestakesareincredible Beinga partofAFJallowsmetounifymovementsforthecommongoodandtoexpandourdemocracy. We bringthephrase 'strongertogether'tolife.”

Read our full prole of Kimberly

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