New York, NY – GLAAD, the world’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) media advocacy organization, is responding to President Biden’s nomination of two out LGBTQ women to the federal bench.
The White House released a statement this morning announcing the nominations of Vermont State Supreme Court Justice Beth Robinson to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and Charlotte Sweeney as Nominee for the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado.
If confirmed, Justice Robinson, who is Vermont’s first out LGBT Supreme Court justice, would also be the first out woman to serve on any federal circuit court.
Charlotte Sweeney, a partner at Sweeney & Bechtold, LLC, would be the first out federal judge in Colorado and first out woman to serve as a federal district court judge in any state west of the Mississippi.
Statement from Zeke Stokes, GLAAD Consultant and President of ZS Strategies:
“Without comprehensive federal protections, the courts remain a lifeline to LGBTQ people when it comes to ensuring that we are treated equally under the law. President Biden is moving swiftly to nominate judges to the federal bench who represent a diverse cross section of Americans and support full LGBTQ equality, including two historic LGBTQ nominations today. The U.S. Senate must now move expeditiously to confirm these highly qualified candidates.”
The White House statement said the nominations “continue to fulfill the President’s promise to ensure that the nation’s courts reflect the diversity that is one of our greatest assets as a country — both in terms of personal and professional backgrounds.”
GLAAD is tracking the Biden Administration’s LGBTQ appointments, policy announcements and statements. The nominations of Robinson and Sweeney mark the 67th and 68th move on the GLAAD Biden Accountability Tracker.
