WASHINGTON (AP) — The first Senate hearing for President Joe Biden’s judicial nominations featured two African American nominees for appeals court openings. It gave Democrats an early chance to promote racial diversity on the bench and provide a contrast to the Trump era, when no Blacks were among the 54 such judges confirmed. The Biden nominees said at the hearing Wednesday that they did not believe race would play a role in their decisions, though they said diversity helps increase confidence in the courts. Democrats are eager to turn the page from the Trump administration, especially when it comes to judges. More than one-quarter of the federal judiciary is made up of President Donald Trump appointees.
