Statement of ABA President Linda A. Klein re: ABA review of federal judicial nominees

 The American Bar Association has been notified that the White House does not intend to follow the long-standing practice of inviting the independent ABA Standing Committee on the Federal Judiciary to review the professional qualifications of prospective nominees to the lower federal courts on a pre-nomination basis.

President Eisenhower first invited the ABA into the process in 1953. Since then, with the exception of the George W. Bush administration, the ABA has been asked by every administration to conduct pre-nomination evaluations of the professional qualification of prospective nominees. This helps to ensure the highest quality judiciary through an objective, nonpartisan review of the professional competence, integrity and judicial temperament of those who would have lifetime appointments to our federal courts.

Over the years, the standing committee’s work has done much to instill public confidence and trust in the judiciary. The ABA, through its standing committee, will continue to provide its objective evaluations to the Senate Judiciary Committee as part of the judicial confirmation process.

With more than 400,000 members, the American Bar Association is one of the largest voluntary professional membership organizations in the world. As the national voice of the legal profession, the ABA works to improve the administration of justice, promotes programs that assist lawyers and judges in their work, accredits law schools, provides continuing legal education, and works to build public understanding around the world of the importance of the rule of law.