Over the past three decades, an increasing number of women have joined the legal profession. For 25 years, approximately 45% of law students have been women. In the last decade, women’s representation has approached 50%. But even with a record number of women recently nominated to the bench, women still make up only about 30% of active federal judges overall.
We are on the verge of changing those disappointing statistics. Right now, there are 14 female judicial nominees–seven of whom are ready for a vote. And other confirmations would increase racial and other sorely needed kinds of diversity on the courts as well. But the judicial confirmation process in the United States Senate has slowed to a crawl. Nominees are routinely waiting for months for confirmation votes, but when votes take place, the vast majority of nominees are confirmed by overwhelming margins, if not unanimously. Still, despite the backlog and the mounting number of judicial emergencies, only a handful of judges have been confirmed in 2012.
Discuss What Can Be Done About the Judicial Vacancy Crisis With White House Counsel Kathy Ruemmler
On Tuesday, March 13 at 1:30 p.m. EDT, join White House Counsel Kathy Ruemmler, National Conference of Women’s Bar Associations President Cezy Collins, National Association of Women Lawyers Executive Board Member Deborah Froling and members of the women’s legal community from across the country in a special conference call. Please share this announcement with members of your women’s bar associations. Pre-registration is required.
This conference call is co-sponsored by the National Association of Women Lawyers, the National Conference of Women’s Bar Associations and the National Women’s Law Center.