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LEAGUE OF UNITED LATIN AMERICAN CITIZENS National Office |
2000 L Street, NW, Suite 610 PRESS RELEASE |
| For Immediate Release September 5, 2003 |
Contact: Lorraine Quiroga/ |
Washington, DC - LULAC was disappointed to learn that Miguel Estrada decided to withdraw his nomination for federal judge with the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals. It is critical to the Latino community that President Bush continues nominating qualified Hispanic candidates that are acceptable to both Republicans and Democrats that sit on the Judiciary Committee in order to increase the likelihood of a confirmation.
"It is unfortunate that Estrada was not able to have a full vote in the Senate," stated LULAC National President Hector Flores. "Mr. Estrada is a qualified candidate and the full Senate should have been given the opportunity to vote on this matter."
LULAC strongly believes that our nation's federal judges should reflect the diversity of the communities they preside over. Hispanics, however, remain severely underrepresented in the judiciary comprising only 3.8% of federal judges while making up 14% of the U.S. population. "We urge President Bush to appoint more qualified Hispanics in the future, particularly to nominate another Hispanic to the DC Circuit Court of Appeals. To rectify this under-representation problem, it becomes critical that the nominees be acceptable to both Republicans and Democrats sitting on the Judiciary Committee in order to ensure their confirmation," Flores added.
The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) is the oldest and largest Latino civil rights organization in the United States. LULAC advances the economic condition, educational attainment, political influence, health, and civil rights of Hispanic Americans through community-based programs operating at more than 700 LULAC councils nationwide.