The Senate voted today to confirm Andrew Oldham to a lifetime appointment on the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. In May, the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. (LDF) sent a letter to the Senate Judiciary Committee formally opposing Oldham’s nomination. Todd A. Cox, Policy Director at LDF, provided the following statement:
“As so many turn their attention towards the vacancy on the Supreme Court, it’s essential that we not lose sight of this administration’s efforts to reshape the judiciary as a whole. The Senate continues to confirm President Trump’s judicial nominees to lifetime seats on the federal bench with reckless speed.
“In confirming Andrew Oldham, the Senate ignored his clear anti-civil rights record and his unacceptable failure to endorse the Supreme Court’s unanimous decision in Brown v. Board of Education. Such antagonism towards pillars of our justice system should be disqualifying, but senators continue to shirk their obligation to ‘advise and consent’ on the judicial nominees before them.
“The Senate must slow down the confirmation process, both for Judge Brett Kavanaugh as well as for lower court nominees. These judges hold in their hands the future of equal justice in this country. If we want our children and grandchildren to grow up in a nation that protects this sacred ideal, we must press pause and ensure we are only confirming those who have demonstrated a clear commitment to civil rights and the rule of law.”
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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.
