The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law strongly opposes the nomination of Steven Menashi to the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. President Trump has nominated over 155 federal judges who have secured lifetime appointments, most of whom lack a commitment to fundamental fairness when weighing the fate of each individual who comes before them. Menashi’s well-documented positions on race, diversity, LGBTQ and civil rights clearly demonstrate he is unfit to be a fair and neutral arbiter of the law.
“In no uncertain terms, we condemn the nomination of Steven Menashi for a lifetime seat on the federal court. Steven Menashi’s nomination to a seat previously held by Thurgood Marshall in the Second Circuit is an affront to African Americans and other people of color, and the progress we have made to advance equal justice under law. Mr. Menashi’s record makes clear his hardened stance and biased views on race, diversity, LGBTQ rights and more. He has pushed the anti-civil rights and anti-immigrant agendas of the current Administration. His inflammatory writings and racially polarizing views make it clear that he has no place on the federal appellate bench.
“We are urging the Senate to take its constitutionally mandated duty to vet judicial nominees seriously and oppose his nomination. We urge the Senate to weigh the full impact of granting a lifetime appointment to Mr. Menashi, whose extreme ideological views endanger the welfare and advancement of vulnerable Americans and the integrity of the federal bench. President Trump’s nominees now make up nearly 25 percent of our nation’s federal court of appeals, and the vast majority have been white men who do not reflect the diversity of the legal bar or of the country. Menashi would further exacerbate this dangerous reality.” – Kristen Clarke, president and executive director of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law
About the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law
The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization, was formed in 1963 at the request of President John F. Kennedy to involve the private bar in providing legal services to address racial discrimination. Now in its 56th year, the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law is continuing its quest to “Move America Toward Justice.” The principal mission of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law is to secure, through the rule of law, equal justice for all, particularly in the areas of criminal justice, fair housing and community development, economic justice, educational opportunities, and voting rights. For more information, please visit www.lawyerscommittee.org.
