Arlington, VA – Today the Senate voted to approve President Trump’s judicial nominee, Judge Ralph Erickson, to the lower courts. Erickson was unanimously approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee two weeks ago and will now serve his lifetime appointment on the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals.
Erickson has an abundance of state and federal experience and was unanimously confirmed to the U.S. District Court for the District of North Dakota after being nominated by President George W. Bush in 2003.
Concerned Veterans for America (CVA) Executive Director Mark Lucas issued the following statement:
“We commend Congress for confirming Ralph Erickson to serve on the lower courts. The 8th Circuit is gaining a judge committed to upholding the rule of law and serving with integrity. Although Judge Erickson’s confirmation is a step towards a fully-functioning judiciary, there are still over a hundred vacancies remaining on the lower courts. We will continue to engage and mobilize our activists to support qualified nominees as needed.”
There are currently over 140 vacancies remaining in the federal courts. Senators Franken, Wyden, and Merkley have recently vowed not to turn in their blue-slips for the current nominees from their states, thereby blocking them from proceeding. Last month, CVA launched “Defend the Courts,” an initiative driven to help support qualified judicial nominees and end the arcane Senate tradition of blue-slips, which enables senators to block nominees from their state.
Earlier this year, CVA engaged in an unprecedented grassroots effort in support of Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch. CVA’s activists made over 350,000 emails and phone calls urging Americans to contact their senators in support of Justice Gorsuch.
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