Dear Senate, Please Prioritize Judges

The U.S. Senate is back in session this week after its August recess. Senators are always juggling priorities, but never more so than in an election year and in the final weeks before Election Day. That’s why we are urging all our members to call their Senators and urge them to prioritize the confirmation of federal judges.

Thank you to everyone who has signed our petition with Daily Kos urging the Senate to prioritize judges and who has called their Senators. Already, more than 20,000 people have signed the petition, and 190 people have placed calls to their Senators. There is still time if you haven’t taken action yet to tell the U.S. Senate to prioritize judges. Sign our petition with Daily Kos today.

President Biden and the Senate have done a tremendous job over the past 18 months prioritizing judges. But we cannot rest on our laurels. There are still dozens of federal court vacancies and dozens of nominees awaiting Senate hearings and confirmation votes. We need the Senate to make judges a priority while they can!

None of us knows how the midterm elections will turn out or which party will control the Senate come January. But, we do know the Senate has the votes right now to confirm President Biden’s nominees. That’s why this call to action is so urgent.

No matter what policy issue you care about, courts matter. We’ve discussed at length and are seeing in real time the impact that judges at all levels have on abortion rights. The same analysis is true for climate justice, labor rights, criminal legal reform, and every other issue area. One of the most impactful ways that the Senate can support all of these issues is by taking action on President Biden’s diverse, qualified judicial nominees.

Calling your Senator can be in intimidating. But, you don’t need to have facts and figures on hand before making a call. The message can be simple. When you call your Senator, state your name and where you live (to establish that you are a constituent), and just say that you urge your Senator to prioritize the confirmation of federal judges between now and the end of the year. That’s it.

I can tell you from experience that even a simple message can have resonance with your Senator. Every Senate office keeps track of how many calls they receive and on which issues. They notice when they receive a bunch of calls on the same issue. And they also take note when they receive no or few calls about an issue, leaving the impression that the issue is of little importance to constituents.

And, you don’t need to know the direct number to your Senator. You can call the Capitol Switchboard and they will connect you to your Senators. The Switchboard number is: 202-224-3121

I joined Jeanne Hruska and Zack Gima on this week’s Broken Law podcast episode to discuss why it’s so important for the Senate to prioritize judges, how the Senate can do that, and how ACS members can help. If you haven’t already checked out the episode, now is a great time to take a listen.

And reminder, if you haven’t already, sign our petition with Daily Kos to urge the Senate to prioritize judges.

Confirmation Process, Hearings, Importance of the Courts