Eminent Ex-Judge Defends Biden’s Judicial Nominee

A respected former federal appeals court judge, Timothy Lewis, has stepped forward to defend Adeel Mangi, President Biden’s nominee for the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, amid mounting attacks from Republican critics. In a strongly worded letter, Lewis warned Senate leaders that rejecting Mangi, who would be the nation’s first Muslim federal appeals court judge, would have a “toxic long-term impact on the entire federal judiciary” and urged his confirmation. Lewis, appointed by former President George H.W. Bush condemned the “baseless attacks” and “unfair stereotyping” faced by Mangi, underscoring the need for a diverse bench.

Baseless Attacks and Unfair Stereotyping

In his letter, Lewis condemned the “baseless attacks” and “unfair stereotyping” faced by Mangi, underscoring the need for a diverse bench. “This is a nominee who should – and ordinarily would – have widespread bipartisan support,” he wrote. Yet he said Mangi was facing “absolutely unfounded” claims that he supports terrorism and is antisemitic.

Republican critics have focused on how Mangi formerly sat on an advisory board for Rutgers Law School’s Center for Security, Race and Rights, whose director has taken stances supporting Palestinians and which hosted a 2021 event on the 20th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attack featuring controversial speakers.

Diverse Representation on the Bench

Lewis, one of two Black appellate court judges appointed by Bush, said the courts need more diversity, but people from underrepresented communities will think twice about seeking a nomination if they believe they will be “unfairly attacked, stereotyped, and rejected by the Senate.”

The White House and Senate Democratic leaders have called the attacks an Islamophobic smear, and Lewis’s letter adds significant weight to those claims. As a respected former Republican appointee, his defense of Mangi carries particular resonance and underscores the importance of maintaining the integrity of the judicial nomination process.

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Uncertain Confirmation Prospects

Despite Lewis’s impassioned plea, Mangi’s confirmation remains uncertain. The Senate Judiciary Committee voted along party lines to advance his nomination in January, but confirmation by the full Senate is far from guaranteed. CNN reported on Thursday that Democratic senators have privately warned the White House there are not enough votes to confirm him.

A digital ad campaign by the conservative Judicial Crisis Network launched in February in Montana, Pennsylvania, and Washington, D.C. portraying Mangi as “antisemitic” had targeted Democratic Senators Jon Tester of Montana and Bob Casey of Pennsylvania in particular to convince them to vote no