Latino organizations denounce U.S. District Judge David Hurd’s unprecedented decision to rescind his notice to take senior status

Hurd’s action would effectively block the appointment of the first-ever Latino judge on the Northern District of New York court

Washington, D.C. — In response to U.S. District Judge David Hurd’s recent decision to rescind his intention to take senior status, Latinos for a Fair Judiciary (LFJ) and it’s partners — LatinoJustice, Voto Latino, League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), MALDEF and Mi Familia Vota — sent a letter to Judge Hurd expressing their unified disappointment and concern over his decision to interfere with the nomination of Jorge Alberto Rodriguez, who was nominated by President Joseph Biden to succeed Judge Hurd in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York. 

“Judge Hurd’s decision to exploit his lifetime tenure to block the appointment of a highly qualified Latino to fill his seat is a slap in the face to not only Mr. Rodriguez, but also to the people of New York the judge swore to serve,” said Andrea Nill Sanchez, Executive Director of Latinos for a Fair Judiciary. “A judicial nomination is not a negotiation and Judge Hurd’s pretextual demands about where Mr. Rodriguez resides are baffling and inappropriate. We call on Judge Hurd to stop holding Mr. Rodriguez’s nomination hostage and make way for a new generation of jurists.”

As background, on July 13, President Biden announced that he was nominating Mr. Rodriguez to fill Judge Hurd’s seat on the Northern District of New York after Judge Hurd announced his intention to take senior status. If confirmed, Mr. Rodriguez would become the first Latino judge to ever serve in that court’s history. Shortly after President Biden nominated Mr. Rodriguez, Judge Hurd took the unprecedented action of rescinding his intention to take senior status, clarifying later that his decision was “unconditional.”

LFJ’s letter to Judge Hurd points out that according to the 2020 Census, the Latino population in New York grew by 15 percent and now comprises nearly 20 percent of the state’s population. Even in Utica, NY, the Latino population has grown to 12 percent while the city’s immigrant and refugee community now represents a quarter of Utica’s total population.

The full open letter to Judge Hurd can be found at here. 

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