Right On

Lambda Legal:

Today, the U.S. Senate made judicial history by confirming Darrin Gayles to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida and Staci Yandle to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois, marking the first time that two openly gay judicial nominees have been confirmed to the federal bench on the same day.

Lambda Legal released the following statement from Fair Courts Project Manager Eric Lesh:

"President Obama has already nominated more African-American judges and openly gay and lesbian judges than any of his predecessors. With this historic confirmation, Darrin Gayles will become the nation's first openly gay African-American man to serve on the federal bench, while Staci Yandle becomes the second openly lesbian African-American woman to be confirmed in the 20 years since President Clinton nominated Deborah Batts to the Southern District of New York.

"Today, it is more important than ever that our courts reflect the growing diversity of our country, but we have a long way to go. There are nearly 900 federal judges in the U.S., and most are white men. Federal courts are charged with providing everyone with equal access to justice, and yet justice has not always been a reality for some. A diverse judiciary serves not only to improve the quality of justice, but to boost public confidence in the courts."

Congratulations to new District Court Judges Gayles and Yandle!

Michelle Schwartz of Alliance for Justice, a left-leaning association of more than 100 organizations focused on the federal judiciary, makes the salient point about diversity on the bench: "When individuals come before the federal courts because they have faced discrimination at work or their civil rights have been violated, it's important for them to know there are judges on the bench who understand their lives. We need a federal bench that looks like America, and that means we need judges who bring personal and professional diversity."

That is not to suggest that a black judge, for example, is axiomatically going to be great for black people who come to hir court. (See: Clarence Thomas.) Or a female judge, etc. But we know that diversity in positions of power, and the judiciary is certainly a place of immense power, matters. Especially in pursuit of access and parity for people from marginalized populations.