U.S. District Judge Jamal Whitehead of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington

7/05/2024

U.S. District Judge Jamal Whitehead

U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington 

c/o U.S. District Court

700 Stewart Street, 16128

Seattle, WA  98101

Dear U.S. District Judge Whitehead,

My name is Matt Winick from Ann Arbor, Michigan and I have a strong interest in learning history, social justice, and criminal justice reform.  In these subjects, I like to learn the need for civil rights to be stronger to reduce discrimination, have criminal justice reform to help protect people’s rights while reduce crime, and many others. U.S. District Judge Whitehead, the main reason I’m writing you a letter is to explain how I find your work as when you served as a Member of the U.S. Equal Employment Commission of Seattle Washington, as former U.S. Assistant Attorney for the Western District of Washington, and as current U.S. District Judge of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington and your story about your physical disability to be very inspiring to me.

When you served as Member of the U.S. Equal Employment Commission of Seattle Washington from 2010-2014, I liked on how you were an advocate for the need for better protection on minorities, women, and people with disabilities from facing discrimination action in pay including in benefits. Also in your role as Member of the U.S. Equal Employment Commission of Seattle Washington, I like on how you help represent minorities, women, people with disabilities, and people with different orientation that face some forms of discrimination or when they couldn’t afford an attorney. In your role as Assistant Attorney for the Western District of Washington from 2014-2016, I truly appreciated on how you were a strong supporter of civil rights by advocating for people with disabilities’ rights, prosecuting people who commit hate crimes to help protect minorities including people who are different, and investigating public places that practice different forms of discrimination or violate civil rights legislation. Supporting drug treatment programs to help drug users get the care they need to reduce drug abuse, expanding resources to help victims of crime or victims of domestic violence get help on dealing with their trauma, and supporting along with emphasizing the need for funds to improve DNA testing including forensic science to help solve evidence efficiently while reduce sending an innocent person to jail is common sense for criminal justice reform. Also on criminal justice reform, I like on how you created a wrongful conviction unit to investigate any cases that mad misconduct or prosecution misconduct which lead innocent people being sent to jail for a crime that they didn’t commit and investigate any law enforcement that commit police misconduct or police brutality that causes endanger on innocent people.   In March 2023, I was amazed on how you made history on becoming the first person with a physical disability to serve on the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington.  In your current role as U.S. District Judge of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington, I like on how you are a continuous strong supporter of civil rights including people with disabilities’ rights and criminal justice reform. Another thing that I like about your work in the U.S. District Court of Western District of Washington  is how you are a strong supporter of protecting civil liberties like protecting the 4th amendment to help protect people from unreasonable searches and strongly advocate for ethics reform to help reduce corruption including judicial misconduct in the court system.  

U.S. District Judge Whitehead, I have autism with a learning disability. Having a disability is hard for me because I have trouble comprehending on learning different advanced subjects, sometimes I struggle to communicate my thoughts in different settings, and get teased. Also with my disability I have face some discrimination in education, public places, and sometime in previous work environment due to having a disability. Your commitment to be a strong supporter of civil rights including people with disabilities’ rights really inspires me to work hard on my disability. Your story on articles including Youtube about working hard on some of your challenges with a physical disability, being an ally for people with disabilities’ rights, and how your disability helped motivate you to be interested in law helps give me inspiration to work on my disability and to try to learn different subjects, and to expand on compassion like volunteering to help feed homeless people in the A2 area.  Your role as Member of the U.S. Equal Employment Commission of Seattle Washington, as former U.S. Assistant Attorney for the Western District of Washington, and as current U.S. District Judge of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington helps give me motivation to continue to learn history, social justice, and criminal justice reform. My future goal is to someday work in these areas to help emphasize the need for civil rights to be stronger to reduce discrimination, have criminal justice reform to help protect people’s rights while reduce crime, and many others.

I strongly believe that you are making a great difference in the judicial system. I’m very proud on how you are working hard to support civil rights including people with disabilities’ rights, push along with advocate for criminal justice reform, and many others. Your story about your disability is very inspirational to me. You truly inspire me to work hard on my disability, learn more about your work,  and continue to learn different subjects. Thanks for taking the time to read my letter, working hard to make a great difference, and inspiring me. Please continue to make an impact on society.

Sincerely,

Matt Winick