ATLANTA LEADERS CALL ON PRESIDENT OBAMA TO WITHDRAW HIS CANDIDATES FOR THE GEORGIA NORTHERN DISTRICT BENCH

ATLANTA--A broad coalition of elected officials and community leaders will announce their opposition to the slate of candidates nominated last Thursday by the White House to sit on the bench in the Northern District of Georgia at a news conference on Monday, December 23rd.

The news conference will be held at Ebenezer Baptist Church, 449 Auburn

Avenue, NE, Atlanta, Georgia 30312, at 11:00 a.m on Monday December 23rd.

The group cites serious concerns that the proposed candidates do not adequately reflect the diversity of the northern district and that the selection process lacked meaningful community

input.  Additionally, the coalition finds it troubling that several of the nominees include persons

who have advocated in favor of Georgia’s voter ID laws and for including the Confederate Battle

Emblem as part of the Georgia State Flag.

Three recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom--Rep. John Lewis, the Rev.

Joseph Lowery, and the Rev. C.T. Vivian--will speak, as well as U.S. Reps. David Scott and

Hank Johnson.  Representatives of the Gate City Bar Association, members of the Georgia Association of Black Women Attorneys, Georgia Alliance of African American Attorneys, the Atlanta and Georgia Chapters of the NAACP, The Coalition for the People's Agenda, and the SCLC will also be present.

For more information contact Charles Johnson (Charles.johnson@hklaw.com) or Suzy

Ockleberry sockleberry@yahoo.com For Rep. Lewis contact, Brenda Jones

(brenda.jones@mail.house.gov or 202.226.4673).

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