Ahead of tomorrow’s vote on her nomination, the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. (LDF) sent a letter to Senate leadership opposing the confirmation of Neomi Rao to a lifetime seat on the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals.
In the letter, LDF highlights Rao’s long record of hostility to civil rights, including her collegiate writings attacking affirmative action, her work leading the Trump Administration’s efforts to dismantle protections against racial discrimination, and her failure to support the U.S. Supreme Court’s unanimous decision in Brown v. Board of Education during her confirmation hearing. LDF also emphasizes Rao’s lack of trial experience – in either federal or state court – as disqualifying for a seat on the federal bench.
LDF’s letter concludes:
“With civil rights under attack in this country, the Senate must use its ‘advice and consent’ power to ensure our nation is served by judges who will uphold the rule of law and equal rights for all Americans and reject nominees like Ms. Rao whose views and career reflect deep opposition to these core principles. We call on the U.S. Senate to protect the rule of law and the integrity of the federal judiciary by voting ‘no’ on Ms. Rao’s nomination.”
Read LDF Policy Director Todd Cox’s op-ed discussing her nomination here.
Read LDF’s statement on the Senate Judiciary Committee’s vote to advance her nomination here.
Read LDF’s statement on Rao’s collegiate writings here.
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Founded in 1940, the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. (LDF) is the nation’s first civil and human rights law organization and has been completely separate from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) since 1957—although LDF was originally founded by the NAACP and shares its commitment to equal rights. LDF’s Thurgood Marshall Institute is a multi-disciplinary and collaborative hub within LDF that launches targeted campaigns and undertakes innovative research to shape the civil rights narrative. In media attributions, please refer to us as the NAACP Legal Defense Fund or LDF.
