Support the Confirmation of Judge David Estudillo to the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington
View a PDF of this letter here.
July 13, 2021
SUPPORT THE CONFIRMATION OF JUDGE DAVID ESTUDILLO TO THE
U.S. DISTRICT COURT FOR THE WESTERN DISTRICT OF WASHINGTON
Dear Senator:
On behalf of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, a coalition of more than 220 national organizations committed to promoting and protecting the civil and human rights of all persons in the United States, we write to express our strong support for the confirmation of Judge David Estudillo to the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington.
Judge Estudillo’s extensive experience and demonstrated commitment to civil rights make him well qualified to serve as a federal judge. For nearly six years, he has served as a state court judge on the Grant County Superior Court in Washington, where he has presided over more than 1,000 cases. Previously, Judge Estudillo spent 10 years operating his own immigration law firm, representing individuals seeking asylum, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals protections, work authorizations, temporary protected status, and citizenship. Following his graduations from the University of Washington and the University of Washington School of Law, Judge Estudillo worked at two law firms handling defense and plaintiff-side work and complex multiparty litigation. Judge Estudillo’s experience will make him an asset to the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington.
In addition to his impressive career, Judge Estudillo’s lived experience would also bring important perspectives to the federal bench. Judge Estudillo’s parents were farmworkers who emigrated from Mexico. If confirmed, he would be only the second Latino judge to ever serve on this court.[1] Washington is home to more than 1.1 million immigrants[2] and nearly 1 million Hispanic or Latino individuals.[3] It is imperative that judges share characteristics and experiences with the people impacted by their decisions because it helps to increase public trust in the judiciary, fosters better jurisprudence that is more reflective of the experiences of a diverse nation,[4] and improves judicial decision-making.[5] The judiciary needs to reflect both demographic diversity and the experiential diversity of the legal profession, including more judges experienced in ensuring that the civil rights of all people are protected and defended. Judge Estudillo would bring this diversity and meaningful experience to the federal bench.
Judge Estudillo has demonstrated his commitment to civil rights throughout his career, and his experience working towards equal justice qualifies him to serve in the federal judiciary. We urge the Senate to confirm Judge David Estudillo to the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington. If you have any questions or would like to discuss this matter further, please contact Lena Zwarensteyn, Senior Director of the Fair Courts Campaign, at (202) 466-3311. Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Wade Henderson
Interim President & CEO
Jesselyn McCurdy
Interim Executive Vice President of Government Affairs
[1] “Biographical Directory of Article III Federal Judges, 1789-present.” Federal Judicial Center. Accessed June 2021. Search includes all Western District of Washington judges whose race or ethnicity includes Hispanic/Latino.
[2] “2019 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates.” United States Census Bureau. Accessed June 2021. Search includes foreign-born population of Washington.
[3] “2019 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates.” United States Census Bureau. Accessed June 2021. Search includes Hispanic/Latino people of any race in Washington.
[4] Berry, Kate. “Building a Diverse Bench: Selecting Federal Magistrate and Bankruptcy Judges.” Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law and American Bar Association Judicial Division. 2017.
[5] Sen, Maya. “Diversity, Qualifications, and Ideology: How Female and Minority Judges Have Changed, or Not Changed, Over Time.” 2017 Wis. L. Rev. 367 (2017).