Against the advice of several Democratic senators, Joe Biden nominated Adeel Mangi to serve on the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals. Mangi is a well-known attorney and a partner in the well-heeled Democratic law firm of Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler.
But Biden doesn't really care about Mangi's qualifications. The attorney is a Muslim and Biden is eager to check another affirmative action box before the election, especially since Mangi would be the first Muslim judge confirmed to the appellate court.
Biden's political problems with the Muslim community are well-known and despite warnings from Democratic senators, he is pushing the nomination anyway.
Manji has some questionable ties to radical organizations and both Democrats and Republicans have been raising red flags over the nomination. He has been affiliated with both the Center for Security, Race and Rights (CSRR) at Rutgers Law School, and the Alliance of Families for Justice (AFJ), both of which have radical board members and known radical connections.
The CSRR has hosted numerous speakers that the advocacy group Jewish Federation of Greater MetroWest NJ and watchdog group Judicial Crisis Network (JCN), among others, have accused of antisemitism. The speakers included associate professor Noura Erakat, who was advertised in 2020 to be participating in a panel alongside senior Hamas leader Ghazi Hamad. Many of the center's events that have been subject to public outcry have notably occurred after Hamas' Oct. 7 terrorist attack on Israel.
The group has also welcomed speakers who have been accused by JCN and others of sympathizing with terrorists connected to the 9/11 terrorist attacks in New York City.
Mangi served on the organization's advisory board from 2019 to 2023.
If possible, the AFJ is even more controversial. One of the group's founding board members was Kathy Boudin, a member of the radical Weather Underground, who served 23 years in prison for murdering two Brinks truck security guards in a robbery. Her son Chesa served as district attorney in San Francisco until his radicalism proved to be too much for that left-wing city.
"Mr. Mangi’s affiliation with the Alliance of Families for Justice is deeply concerning," Democratic Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada said in a statement to Fox News.
"This organization 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."
Biden can afford to lose only one more Democrat or Mangi's nomination will be dead. And that Democrat will almost certainly be Joe Manchin.
Manchin's reasons for opposing Mangi have nothing to do with his affiliations and everything to do with Biden's inability to send judicial nominations to the Senate that even one Republican will support.
“Just one Republican. That’s all I’m asking for. Give me something bipartisan. This is my own little filibuster. If they can’t get one Republican, I vote for none. I’ve told [Democrats] that. I said, ‘I’m sick and tired of it, I can’t take it anymore,’” Manchin said in an interview Wednesday.
Manchin is retiring after this year and apparently wants to leave his mark on the way out. It will certainly gum up the works if Manchin holds to this promise. And true to his independent streak, Manchin is laying the groundwork for the fight to keep the filibuster after he and Senator Kyrsten Sinema, the two biggest proponents of the filibuster, are gone.
“If they don’t have a Republican, I’m opposing. That’s my way of saying: 'I’m leaving this place, I’ve tried everything I can. Don’t tell me you can’t get one.' If you’ve got a decent person you can at least get one. Just go ask Lisa [Murkowski], go ask Susan [Collins], even Lindsey [Graham],” Manchin said. “Lisa and Susan both are not controlled by just voting party line, I know that. But you’ve got to ask them.”
Manchin also said he’s doing a little work on the side to preserve the legislative filibuster, even as its two strongest Democrat-aligned advocates — him and Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.) head for the exits. He said he’s telling donors to ask candidates “if they will commit to supporting and keeping the filibuster. If they don’t, you ought to think twice about it.”
There are probably other Democratic senators who will oppose Mangi, leaving Biden with the unpalatable option of pulling the nomination before a floor vote to avoid the embarrassment.
