Issues
The Senate considered President Joe Biden’s nomination of Amir Ali to serve as a judge of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia. With jurisdiction over the nation’s capital and many critical cases on environmental law, voting rights, campaign finance, and more, the D.C. District is one of the nation’s most powerful courts. Federal judges serve for life and the laws that protect our environment and democracy need judges who will uphold and enforce them. Prior to his judicial service, Ali was a distinguished litigator with extensive experience serving the public interest, including serving as President & Executive Director of the MacArthur Justice Center and co-director of the criminal justice appellate clinic at Harvard Law School. Through his work to advance civil rights and due process for criminal defendants as well as people subjected to excessive force by police officers, Ali has demonstrated a commitment to a judicial system that serves equal justice under law for all people, not just the wealthy and powerful. Beyond his exemplary professional qualifications, Ali is only the fourth Muslim American ever appointed to the federal judiciary. On November 20, the Senate confirmed Ali to be a judge of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia by a vote of 50-49 (Senate roll call vote 291). YES IS THE PRO-ENVIRONMENT VOTE.