Statement from Latinos for a Fair Judiciary on Nomination of Ana Isabel de Alba, Irma Carrillo Ramirez to federal appeals courts

Washington, DC — Latinos for a Fair Judiciary (LFJ) and its partner, the Hispanic National Bar Association, applaud President Biden’s nomination of Ana Isabel de Alba to serve on the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals and Irma Carrillo Ramirez to serve on the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. Ramirez’s confirmation makes her the first Latina to sit on one of the nation’s most conservative appeals courts. The Biden Administration has now appointed more Latinas to circuit courts than any previous president.

In response to today’s Senate Judiciary Committee hearing with the two nominees, Andrea Nill Sanchez, Executive Director of Latinos for a Fair Judiciary, provided the following statement:

“We applaud the historic nominations of Judge de Alba and Judge Ramirez and urge the Senate to swiftly confirm these two exceptional nominees. The extraordinary qualifications they’ve acquired over the course of their careers in California and Texas—both states with significant Latino populations—would strengthen the federal bench at this critical moment in time.”

“Their nominations come as Latino communities face the dire consequences of misguided federal court decisions on immigration policy on the U.S.-Mexico border, reproductive healthcare accessibility, and gun violence. The jurisprudential integrity of our federal courts would benefit enormously from the perspectives of Judge de Alba—a first-generation Mexican American who grew up in central California working fields and cleaning homes with her family— and Judge Ramirez—the daughter of immigrants who would make history as the first Latina to sit on the Fifth Circuit. Our nation needs more Latina jurists like them who have both the professional training and personal background to apply the law to the diverse lived experiences of the people they are appointed to serve.”

In addition, Mariana Bravo, President of the Hispanic National Bar Association, provided the following statement:

“The Hispanic National Bar Association calls for the speedy confirmation of Judge Irma C. Ramirez to the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit and Judge Ana I. de Alba to the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Hispanics have been woefully underrepresented in the federal judiciary, and the bipartisan efforts of President Biden and Senators Cornyn and Cruz in Texas and the commitment to diversity by Senators Feinstein and Padilla in California should be swiftly supported by the Senate. California and Texas are home to some of the most talented lawyers and judges in our country. It is important that the growing Hispanic population in those states have adequate representation and faith in our federal judiciary.”

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