Post by Deleted on Jul 23, 2017 9:58:01 GMT -5
As I noted when Gorsuch was confirmed, you might want more left-leaning justices on the bench, and you can think what happened with Garland was a travesty, but there's no denying Gorsuch is brilliant, well-qualified, and writes extraordinarily well.
Though I would have preferred Garland, and most certainly am on Team Garland Got Screwed, my first reaction to Gorsuch's nomination was actually relief -- I'd been terribly afraid Trump would appoint unqualified alt-right conspiracy-theory-spewing yahoos.
Yes. Well. About that.
www.npr.org/2017/07/20/538363825/conservative-political-blogger-confirmed-for-seat-on-federal-appeals-court
A guy like this has no place on our federal bench -- much less at the appellate level.
And now he's there for life.
It doesn't surprise me that Trump nominated such a man. But that the Republican Senators -- some of whom were clearly disgusted with him -- confirmed him... that, I confess, astonishes me.
I have a couple of friends on the federal bench, and one, alas, who was nominated by Obama and now hangs in endless limbo. I know the process they went through. I was interviewed by the FBI about a couple of them. And oh my. Normally, they scrutinize your background with a magnifying glass going back to your teens.
This guy blogged lies and conspiracy theories under a fake name. That should, right there, disqualify him.
People, this is not politics as usual -- at least not in the United States. This is not OK. And it isn't something we can shake off in four years. Trump, with the aid of a Republican Congress who will not stand up to him, is degrading our most fundamental institutions and values.
Though I would have preferred Garland, and most certainly am on Team Garland Got Screwed, my first reaction to Gorsuch's nomination was actually relief -- I'd been terribly afraid Trump would appoint unqualified alt-right conspiracy-theory-spewing yahoos.
Yes. Well. About that.
www.npr.org/2017/07/20/538363825/conservative-political-blogger-confirmed-for-seat-on-federal-appeals-court
He is John Bush, a Kentucky lawyer and political blogger whose posts disparaged gay rights and compared the Supreme Court's abortion decision in Roe v. Wade to its pro-slavery 1857 Dred Scott decision.
And he is now a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit.
Blogging under a fake name, Bush posted more than 400 items, often citing alt-right media reports containing conspiracy theories and false information, such as the claim that former President Barack Obama was not born in the U.S.
At his confirmation hearing last week, Bush characterized his blogging as "political activity" and pledged he would not bring his politics on to the bench.
When Bush said he would follow the Supreme Court's decisions upholding a woman's right to terminate her pregnancy, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., reminded Bush that he was under oath. And Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., caustically added that after reviewing Bush's blogs, he was "not impressed."
Shortly after the hearing, a clearly disgusted Kennedy said he did not know how he would vote on the nomination, but on Thursday, he joined the Senate's other Republican members in voting to confirm the nominee.
And he is now a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit.
Blogging under a fake name, Bush posted more than 400 items, often citing alt-right media reports containing conspiracy theories and false information, such as the claim that former President Barack Obama was not born in the U.S.
At his confirmation hearing last week, Bush characterized his blogging as "political activity" and pledged he would not bring his politics on to the bench.
When Bush said he would follow the Supreme Court's decisions upholding a woman's right to terminate her pregnancy, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., reminded Bush that he was under oath. And Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., caustically added that after reviewing Bush's blogs, he was "not impressed."
Shortly after the hearing, a clearly disgusted Kennedy said he did not know how he would vote on the nomination, but on Thursday, he joined the Senate's other Republican members in voting to confirm the nominee.
A guy like this has no place on our federal bench -- much less at the appellate level.
And now he's there for life.
It doesn't surprise me that Trump nominated such a man. But that the Republican Senators -- some of whom were clearly disgusted with him -- confirmed him... that, I confess, astonishes me.
I have a couple of friends on the federal bench, and one, alas, who was nominated by Obama and now hangs in endless limbo. I know the process they went through. I was interviewed by the FBI about a couple of them. And oh my. Normally, they scrutinize your background with a magnifying glass going back to your teens.
This guy blogged lies and conspiracy theories under a fake name. That should, right there, disqualify him.
People, this is not politics as usual -- at least not in the United States. This is not OK. And it isn't something we can shake off in four years. Trump, with the aid of a Republican Congress who will not stand up to him, is degrading our most fundamental institutions and values.