NWLC Urges Senate Judiciary Committee to Approve the Nomination of Professor Cornelia Pillard to the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals

(Washington, D.C.) Earlier today, the Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing on the nomination of Professor Cornelia T.L. (Nina) Pillard to the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals.

The following statement is from Marcia D. Greenberger, Co-President of the National Women’s Law Center: 

"Professor Pillard’s testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee today demonstrated her fair-minded, unbiased approach to the law and fundamental commitment to upholding our Constitution. She affirmed that she would faithfully and rigorously apply the law to the facts before her in every case, if confirmed. 

"In addition, Professor Pillard’s testimony underscored that she would bring an extraordinary record of service and breadth of experience to bear. Among the many accomplishments in her remarkable career, Professor Pillard won historic Supreme Court victories that opened one of the last male-only public colleges to women, and ensured that the protections of the Family and Medical Leave Act fully applied to state employees. A distinguished and beloved professor at Georgetown University Law Center, Professor Pillard’s appellate experience in these and many other cases led to her appointment as a co-director of Georgetown’s Supreme Court Institute, which assists lawyers from around the country in preparing for Supreme Court arguments, without regard to which side they represent.

"Professor Pillard’s nomination is supported by a broad array of individuals—from former President George W. Bush’s Assistant Attorney General Viet Dinh, to a distinguished group of former military officers, to VMI alumni, to a bipartisan group of lawyers who practice before the Supreme Court—and organizations such as the Women's Bar Association of the District of Columbia and the National Conference of Women's Bar Associations, further demonstrating the high regard in which she is held among her peers, colleagues, and those who have directly benefited from her legal talents for her integrity and commitment to fair process above all.

"The Center strongly urges the Senate Judiciary Committee to approve Nina Pillard’s nomination, and urges the Senate to expeditiously confirm her to the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals."

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