AFJ Celebrates Long-Awaited Confirmations of Dale Ho and Casey Pitts 

WASHINGTON, D.C., June 14, 2023 – Today the Senate voted to confirm two long-standing judicial nominees to their respective courts: Dale Ho to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York and Casey Pitts to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. Ho’s nomination had been pending since September 2021 and Pitts’s since September 2022 due to obstruction from Republican senators who sought to block them not because of their qualifications but because of partisan opposition to their litigation experience. 

Alliance for Justice President Rakim H.D. Brooks issued the following statement:  

“Free at last! Dale Ho has been held in nominations purgatory for more than 21 months for no reason other than that he has committed his entire legal career to the defense of voting rights. We’ve likewise seen Casey Pitts delayed because of his dedication to labor rights. The final votes show us an indelible snapshot of those senators who stand up for voting and labor rights and those who are against champions like Dale Ho and Casey Pitts. In the long run, we will advance the bottom line for our democracy and the workers of our nation — as long as we persist. We look forward to the other exciting confirmations lined up for this week.” 

— 

Dale Ho, nominated to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, has an extensive record litigating on behalf of voting rights through his work at the ACLU. He notably led the legal fight at the Supreme Court to block the Trump administration from adding a citizenship question to the census. Ho’s qualifications are unmatched, and he becomes one of only two men from the AAPI community to serve on the Southern District of New York, which serves one of the most racially diverse regions in the nation. 

Casey Pitts, nominated to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, has spent most of his career litigating complex labor law cases. He has represented workers, international and local labor unions, consumers, government entities, and public interest organizations. Pitts becomes the only openly LGBTQ+ judge actively serving in the Northern District of California. 

For more on the incredibly qualified nominees still awaiting confirmation, check out AFJ’s Confirmations Overdue campaign.