Judges appointed to the federal courts have the responsibility of ruling on women’s hard-won legal rights. By voting, women can make sure our leaders in Washington appoint and confirm federal judges who are committed to applying the law fairly and who understand the laws’ real world impact on women’s lives.
Federal judges make decisions every day that shape women’s lives.
Judges decide issues of particular importance to women, including:
- Whether the government can interfere in a woman’s personal decision making, including the decision to use contraception or have an abortion under Roe v. Wade;
- Whether the courts will protect big corporations and powerful interests, or individual women facing pay discrimination, sexual harassment, and other kinds of discrimination on the job;
- Whether young women will have a strong Title IX, protecting them against discrimination and harassment in the classroom and on the playing fields;
- Whether public schools and state universities will be prevented from adopting programs to break down barriers that girls and women still face in education and employment, particularly in fields in which they are underrepresented, such as science and engineering;
- Whether women will be able to enforce rights established under federal laws and programs, including the right to benefits like Medicaid, public housing, child support enforcement, and public assistance that are especially important to low-income women and their families.
- Whether women will have the opportunity to work as firefighters, police officers, and other positions traditionally held by men.
- Whether laws written to protect individuals from discrimination will be interpreted consistent with the lawmakers’ intent and purpose.
Judges’ decisions have a broad and lasting impact.
- Federal judges are appointed for life. The decisions they make can affect women and their families for generations.
- Since 1970, the average length of time Justices spend on the Supreme Court is over 26 years.
We’re at a critical juncture.
- There are currently over 100 vacancies in federal courts around the country. When positions on the federal bench remain unfilled, people must wait for justice.
- When the judiciary is diverse, judges bring a greater breadth of life experiences to their work and a deeper understanding of the law’s real world effect on individuals. But only 221of the more than 750 active federal appellate and trial court judges are women, and only 54 among them are women of color. There are no Native American federal judges, only 1 active Asian American federal appeals court judge, and eight federal courts of appeal without a single active minority female judge.
The judicial nominations process matters.
- The President nominates federal judges.
- The Constitution provides that the Senate must provide advice and consent to the President’s nominations. Senators both recommend nominees for federal judicial positions in their states and vote on whether to confirm nominees.
If women vote, Washington will listen.
REGISTER. VOTE.
The National Women’s Law Center is a non-profit, non-partisan organization that has been working to advance and protect women’s legal rights since 1972. NWLC takes no position on candidates or elections, and nothing herein should be construed as an endorsement of any candidate or party.