美国国家公共电台 NPR--President Biden has made choosing diverse federal judges a priority

President Biden has made choosing diverse federal judges a priority

Transcript¹

The Senate confirmed 97 federal judges during President Biden's first two years in office, setting records for the sheer numbers of jurists and their diversity.

In the end, federal courts may be one of Biden's deepest legacies², since judges often get the last word on what the law means and how it plays out in people's lives.

White House chief of staff Ron Klain said the judiciary has been a "top priority" for the president, and there's a simple reason why.

"When he talks about rights and liberties, he knows that in the end those rights and liberties are decided³ by federal judges, so the makeup⁴ of the federal judiciary is connected to everything else we do," Klain said.

White House lawyer Paige Herwig says the effort is a "sea change" designed to make the courts look like the rest of America.

"We've confirmed 74 women as federal judges during this administration so far," Herwig said. "That's actually more than were confirmed during the four years of President Trump⁵'s term or during the eight years of President George W. Bush's administration."

That total includes Dana Douglas, the first woman of color ever to serve on the 5th Circuit appeals court and Doris Pryor, the first Black woman ever to sit on the 7th Circuit appeals court from Indiana. In all, Biden has nominated and helped win confirmation⁶ for 11 Black women to sit on the appeals courts, more than all other presidents combined.

"Our federal judiciary will finally begin to reflect the diversity of this country and the diversity of experiences that Black women in particular can bring to the bench," said Janai Nelson, president of the NAACP Legal Defense⁷ Fund.

Biden's first move on judges involved promoting Ketanji Brown Jackson to the federal appeals court in Washington, D.C. Judge Jackson is now Justice Jackson. Last year, she became the first Black woman on the Supreme⁸ Court. She's also the first justice who worked as a public defender⁹.

The area of professional diversity has been another focus of Biden's judge machine: picking lawyers with experience representing individual clients.

"They're public defenders¹⁰ representing people accused of crimes; they're civil rights lawyers; they're lawyers who are representing people who might have been discriminated¹¹ against or harmed by defective¹² products," said Christopher Kang of the group Demand Justice, which advocates for court reform and progressive-leaning judges.

Kang said Biden has already changed the face of the federal judiciary in a way that could linger for decades, since federal judges can serve for life.

That imprint¹³ "is one that might be the most durable¹⁴ in his entire legacy¹⁵ as a president," added Nelson, of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund.

In 2023, the Senate will remain in the control of Democrats¹⁶, who have mostly voted in lockstep to support Biden's judges. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said in a recent statement that they're just getting started.

It's unlikely Biden can shift the balance of power on every federal appeals court in the country over the next two years. That all depends on time and retirements¹⁷ of current judges.

And as for the nation's highest court, former President Donald Trump cemented a conservative supermajority on the Supreme Court, one that's already frustrated¹⁸ Biden's agenda on reproductive rights, climate change and gun safety measures.

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 legacies   

n.遗产( legacy的名词复数 )；遗留之物；遗留问题；后遗症

参考例句：

• Books are the legacies that a great genius leaves to mankind. 书是伟大的天才留给人类的精神财富。 来自辞典例句
• General legacies are subject to the same principles as demonstrative legacies. 一般的遗赠要与指定数目的遗赠遵循同样的原则。 来自辞典例句

3 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

4 makeup   

n.组织；性格；化装品

参考例句：

• Those who failed the exam take a makeup exam.这次考试不及格的人必须参加补考。
• Do you think her beauty could makeup for her stupidity?你认为她的美丽能弥补她的愚蠢吗？

5 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

6 confirmation   

n.证实，确认，批准

参考例句：

• We are waiting for confirmation of the news.我们正在等待证实那个消息。
• We need confirmation in writing before we can send your order out.给你们发送订购的货物之前，我们需要书面确认。

7 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

8 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

9 defender   

n.保卫者，拥护者，辩护人

参考例句：

• He shouldered off a defender and shot at goal.他用肩膀挡开防守队员，然后射门。
• The defender argued down the prosecutor at the court.辩护人在法庭上驳倒了起诉人。

10 defenders   

n.防御者( defender的名词复数 )；守卫者；保护者；辩护者

参考例句：

• The defenders were outnumbered and had to give in. 抵抗者寡不敌众，只能投降。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• After hard fighting,the defenders were still masters of the city. 守军经过奋战仍然控制着城市。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 discriminated   

分别，辨别，区分( discriminate的过去式和过去分词 )； 歧视，有差别地对待

参考例句：

• His great size discriminated him from his followers. 他的宽广身材使他不同于他的部下。
• Should be a person that has second liver virus discriminated against? 一个患有乙肝病毒的人是不是就应该被人歧视？

12 defective   

adj.有毛病的，有问题的，有瑕疵的

参考例句：

• The firm had received bad publicity over a defective product. 该公司因为一件次品而受到媒体攻击。
• If the goods prove defective, the customer has the right to compensation. 如果货品证明有缺陷， 顾客有权索赔。

13 imprint   

n.印痕，痕迹；深刻的印象；vt.压印，牢记

参考例句：

• That dictionary is published under the Longman imprint.那本词典以朗曼公司的名义出版。
• Her speech left its imprint on me.她的演讲给我留下了深刻印象。

14 durable   

adj.持久的，耐久的

参考例句：

• This raincoat is made of very durable material.这件雨衣是用非常耐用的料子做的。
• They frequently require more major durable purchases.他们经常需要购买耐用消费品。

15 legacy   

n.遗产，遗赠；先人(或过去)留下的东西

参考例句：

• They are the most precious cultural legacy our forefathers left.它们是我们祖先留下来的最宝贵的文化遗产。
• He thinks the legacy is a gift from the Gods.他认为这笔遗产是天赐之物。

16 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

17 retirements   

退休( retirement的名词复数 )； 退职； 退役； 退休的实例

参考例句：

• We've had two retirements in our office this year. 今年我们办公室已有二人退休。
• Those may take the form of sackings redundancies, temporary layoffs or retirements. 这些形式有开除，作为编余人员，暂时解雇或退休。

18 frustrated   

adj.挫败的，失意的，泄气的v.使不成功( frustrate的过去式和过去分词 )；挫败；使受挫折；令人沮丧

参考例句：

• It's very easy to get frustrated in this job. 这个工作很容易令人懊恼。
• The bad weather frustrated all our hopes of going out. 恶劣的天气破坏了我们出行的愿望。 来自《简明英汉词典》