“font-family: Verdana; line-height: 13px;”>There is a growing chorus of minorities and women advocates questioning progress under the Obama administration. Some ask, “Where is the change we can believe in?”
“font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: Verdana;”>The inaugural session of the
href= “http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_United_States_Congress”>First United States Congress “United States federal courts” href= “http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_federal_courts”>U.S. federal judiciary href=”http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States”>United States Judiciary Act of 1789. Debates during the ratification of the Constitution became controversial, especially those centered on t
ratification, opponents urged that the federal court system limit
itself to a Supreme Court; Congress differed and established the
federal system consisting of trial courts with broad
jurisdiction.
“font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: Verdana;”>The federal courts are the third branch of the government, and may be the least understood of the three branches. People are familiar with the White House and the Congress, but less familiar with the Supreme Court and our lower federal courts nationwide. The courts occasionally make news with landmark rulings or cases but they tend to be less visible than other government entities.
“font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: Verdana;”>The judiciary plays a crucial role in interpreting the extent of our civil rights and can alter the recognition of a right throughout our nation. Their decisions can also affect the manner in which Congress enacts civil rights legislation; an example would be the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
“font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: Verdana;”>You can believe in the change that has occurred on the Supreme Court under the Obama administration, especially women. For the first time in history the high court has three women on it with the confirmation of Justice Elena Kagan. The first women the President won confirmation to the high court was Justice Sonia Sotomayor, who was also the first Latina to the Supreme Court, representing change the Latina community can believe in.
“font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: Verdana;”>The federal courts have been crucial in mandating and supervising school desegregation programs and other programs established to rectify state or local discrimination, and our first line of defense for enforcing civil rights. Examples of civil rights are freedom of speech, press, and assembly; the right to vote; freedom from involuntary servitude; and the right to equality in public places. Discrimination occurs when the civil rights of an individual are denied or interfered with because of their membership in a particular group or class; thus appointments to the federal courts are important.
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“font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: Verdana; mso-fareast-font-family:”> Of the 98 Obama nominees confirmed to date, 21 percent are African-American, 11 percent are Hispanic, and 7 percent are Asian-American and almost half – 47 percent – are women. When compared to the Bush administration, of the 322 judges George W. Bush confirmed, 18 percent were minorities and 22 percent were female.
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“font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: Verdana; mso-fareast-font-family:”> And the numbers weren’t much better under William Jefferson Clinton. Of the 372 judges he confirmed, 25 percent were minorities and 29 percent were women.
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“font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: Verdana; mso-fareast-font-family:”> Obama is the first president who hasn’t selected a majority of white males for lifetime judgeships. More than 70 percent of Obama’s confirmed judicial nominees during his first two years were minorities or women. That means the president has done more to diversify the federal courts in two-years than the two-term administrations of Bill Clinton and George W. Bush – more change you can believe in.
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“font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: Verdana; mso-fareast-font-family:”> His most recent confirmation, Bernice Donald ,is the first African-American woman to sit on the 6th U. S. Circuit Court of Appeals. The number of Asian-Americans sitting on the federal bench doubled under Obama; Denny Chin an Asian-American now sits on the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New York as the only active Asian federal appeals court judge in the country … change the Asian-American community can believe in.
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“font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: Verdana; mso-fareast-font-family:”> If you are openly gay, no problem, Obama has nominated three gays for approval to the federal bench. He also nominated Arvo Mikkanen; if confirmed, he will be the only active Native American on the federal bench. The Obama administration changed the federal judiciary and broke down barriers by increasing diversity in the federal courts … change we all can believe in.
“font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: Verdana;”>Pruitt is president of the St. Louis NAACP
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