A Biden administration judicial nominee that has faced pushback from Republicans since he was announced for the job now faces opposition from within President Joe Biden’s own party, as a key Senate Democrat said this week she could not support the nominee.
President Biden nominated Adeel Mangi to serve as a U.S. Circuit Judge for the Third Circuit Court of Appeals in New Jersey on Nov. 15, 2023.
If confirmed, Mr. Mangi would be the first Muslim American to serve as a federal appellate court judge. His nomination hearing in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee was held on Dec. 13, 2023 and was voted out of that committee on Jan. 18 on a party-line basis of 11-10.
Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) told The Epoch Times that Mr. Mangi’s nomination in itself was “deeply concerning” due to his affiliation with the group “Alliance of Families for Justice” (AFJ), which the senator said is sponsored by members of a domestic terrorist organization. Mr. Mangi is listed as an advisory board member of the group on their website.
“[AFJ] has sponsored a fellowship in the name of Kathy Boudin, a member of the domestic terrorist organization Weather Underground, and advocated for the release of individuals convicted of killing police officers. I cannot support this nominee,” Ms. Masto said in a statement to The Epoch Times.
Ms. Boudin, besides having been a member of Weather Underground, served a prison sentence for her involvement in a 1981 robbery of a Brink’s armored truck which resulted in the deaths of a Brink’s Guard and two police officers.
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According to Politico, there are also rumblings by other Senate Democrats as to Mr. Mangi’s nomination, but the White House and some Democrats say they aren’t ready to give up on his nomination.
Mangi’s Background
Mr. Mangi is a partner at a Manhattan-based law firm, according to the Biden administration’s announcement of his nomination back in November. The White House said Mr. Mangi began his legal career there as an associate in 2000, became counsel in 2009, and was elevated to partnership in 2010.According to his biography on the firm’s website, Mr. Mangi has extensive experience in “high-stakes cases” in state and federal courts. He was named to Benchmark Litigation’s “Top 100 Trial Lawyers” in 2023 and 2024.
His biography also notes that he serves on the AFJ’s advisory board, which “advocates on behalf of incarcerated individuals and their families.”
Republican Committee Members Unite in Opposition
In a press release by the Republican members of the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday, March 19, they point to the latest group of law enforcement officers opposing Mr. Mangi’s nomination.“The Police Conference of New York represents more than 50,000 professional police officers from more than 200 member units,” the Republican press release stated. “They join ten other law enforcement organizations urging the U.S. Senate to oppose Mangi’s nomination.”
The Republican members went on to provide information about the history of AFJ, its political motivations, and Ms. Boudin’s legacy within the organization.
The senators also point out that Mr. Mangi served on the Rutgers Center for Security, Race and Rights Advisory Board and donated and facilitated nearly $20,000 in funding toward the Center.
“This organization sponsored an event on the 20th anniversary of September 11, 2001, featuring speakers who are tied to terrorism,” the GOP press release stated. “One speaker at this event was convicted for providing support to a terrorist organization, another called for Intifada in the U.S., and a third speaker organized events with a terrorist who hijacked planes.”
The Republican members added, “In addition to the eleven police organizations that have publicly opposed Mangi’s nomination, every Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, ten Republican Members of Congress representing constituents in the Third Circuit, and several Jewish organizations have also opposed his nomination.”
The Police Conference of New York in particular said Mr. Mangi’s role in AFJ was an affront to police officers.
“While it is one thing to stand up for the rights of those shunned or mistreated by society; it is a far different thing to exalt unrepentant killers, indeed terrorists, who were convicted following legal trials in courts of law,” the group said. “As a member of the bar, Mr. Mangi clearly is smart enough to know the difference, and has made his choice.”
Biden Admin Praises Diversity of Nominees
Regarding Mr. Mangi and other judicial nominations in November of 2023, the Biden White House said that all of their nominees were “extraordinarily qualified, experienced, and devoted to the rule of law and our Constitution.”“These choices also continue to fulfill the President’s promise to ensure that the nation’s courts reflect the diversity that is one of our greatest assets as a country—both in terms of personal and professional backgrounds,” a White House press release continued.
“This will be President Biden’s forty-second round of nominees for federal judicial positions, bringing the number of announced federal judicial nominees to 203.”
Democrats Support Mangi
In their own press release late last week, the Democratic majority on the Jucidiary Committee said that support for Mr. Mangi “continues to grow” despite “baseless accusations from Senate Republicans.” At the time, Ms. Masto has not made her opposition to the nominee public.Democrats on the committee said that law enforcement groups, labor advocates, and local and state leaders all endorse the confirmation of Mr. Mangi.
Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said on the Senate floor earlier this month that Mr. Mangi has been subjected to “scrutiny unlike anything I have ever seen.”
“Despite unequivocally denouncing any acts of antisemitism or bigotry, Mr. Mangi was subjected to irrelevant, combative lines of questioning by multiple Senate Judiciary Committee Republicans about the Israel-Hamas war and was even asked how he celebrated the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks,” Democrats said in their statement. “Numerous Jewish organizations representing more than one million Jewish Americans have voiced support for his historic nomination–including the American Jewish Committee, the National Council for Jewish Women, and a coalition of 15 Jewish organizations.”
Democrats also address the “false claims” about Mr. Mangi’s association with AFJ.
“Senate Republicans have peddled false assertions that Mr. Mangi represented “cop killers,” when he has never said or written anything that suggests he supports such individuals nor represented or provided legal counsel to anyone accused of killing a police officer,” the Democratic press release said. “To the contrary, Senate Republicans are creating a double standard on this issue after voting unanimously to confirm multiple judges during the Trump Administration who had personally represented ‘cop killers.’”
Democrats go on to call the accusations baseless and “blatantly Islamophobic.”
Politico reported that Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), the chief deputy whip for Senate Democrats, said a floor vote is not imminent, so they have not “fully ascertained” as to whether Mr. Mangi will have the votes to be approved.
