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Study Raises Concern Over Diversity, Qualifications Of Judicial Nominees

Kaleigh Wright

The research group Integrity Florida is raising concern about what it sees as a lack of diversity in President Donald Trump’s judicial nominations. 

President Trump has nominated eight judges for positions in Florida. Five of them are white, two are Hispanic, and one is black. Of the Florida nominations, seven are male, and one is female. The Trump administration has said it prioritizes “qualifications” over “diversity”. But Integrity Florida’s Ben Wilcox questions the qualifications of Trump’s nominees as well. He says the American Bar Association has found four Trump nominees are not qualified for the job.

“This 15 member committee rates nominees and potential nominees based on an objective evaluation of criteria that includes integrity, professional experience, competence, and temperament. The ratings are not based on politics or ideology," says Wilcox.

According to the American Bar’s standards, Trump has nominated more “Not Qualified” judges than President George W. Bush and President Barack Obama.

Kaleigh Wright is a senior at Florida State University pursuing Studio Art, Film Studies, and English. Before her debut at WFSU, Kaleigh worked at Capitol News Service as a Production Assistant and Florida State University as Senior Photographer. Her ultimate goal post-college is to pursue a career in documentary film-making. When she is not behind the camera or in front of the microphone, you can find Kaleigh watching anything by Wes Anderson and kite surfing.