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 confirmed Judge Mia Perez, Judge Kai Scott, and Kelley Hodge to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
“Judge Perez, Judge Scott, and Ms. Hodge are excellent additions to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Notably, all three have served as public defenders and have spent significant time defending and upholding the rights of people involved in the complex criminal-legal system. They also bring vital lived experiences to the bench. Judge Perez will be the first Asian American and second Latina judge to ever sit on this court, and Judge Scott and Ms. Hodge will be only the third and fourth Black women to serve on this court in its history. All three of these confirmed nominees bring important and vastly underrepresented professional and lived experiences to the federal bench, which strengthens our judiciary as we work toward the day when equal justice for all is not just a promise but a reality. We applaud the Senate for confirming these exceptional nominees.”
Read The Leadership Conference’s letterin support of the confirmation of Judge Mia Perez, Judge Kai Scott, and Kelley Hodge.
The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights is a coalition charged by its diverse membership of more than 230 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.