

This episode marks Biden’s first major rift over judges with Democrats, who have so far been pleased with the president’s nominees, if not the pace of nominations. It remains unclear whether he will go through with the planned nomination. The Solution to the Trump Judge Problem Nobody Wants to Talk AboutĪ Las Vegas Politician Is Accused of Murdering the Reporter Who Wrote That He Was an Abusive Boss Wade.ĭOJ Called Out Trump Judge Aileen Cannon With Its Savvy Mar-a-Lago Appeal Now, however, Biden is poised to send Meredith’s nomination to a Democratic-controlled Senate-in the wake of a catastrophic Supreme Court decision overruling Roe v. In fact, Biden has conspicuously avoided nominating abortion rights lawyers for fear of triggering a GOP backlash they are dramatically underrepresented among his judicial appointments. It is impossible to imagine a Republican-controlled Senate confirming a Democratic judicial nominee with a meaningful record of reproductive rights advocacy. Even the Federalist rose to Bogren’s defense, but it didn’t matter. Hawley angrily accused Bogren of being anti-Catholic in an act of baseless character assassination. Josh Hawley tanked the nomination-solely because Bogren had defended a city’s LGBTQ non-discrimination ordinance while in private practice. When Trump named Michael Bogren, who was put forward with bipartisan approval, to a district court, GOP Sen. But Senate Republicans would not have even considered a nominee with a strong record of pro-choice advocacy. Even President Donald Trump nominated some moderate district court judges favored by Senate Democrats, who, as a compromise, voted to confirm the president’s far-right nominees. Presidents routinely strike deals to nominate a package of judges to district courts that includes individuals put forth by each party. The appeals court upheld that statute, as well. He also defended a law requiring abortion providers to secure “transfer agreements” with hospitals, an onerous burden on clinics with no health benefit to patients. Meredith prevailed at the court of appeals. The Trump administration considered nominating Meredith to a federal judgeship but dropped the plans in 2020 following the pardon controversy, as the Louisville Courier Journal reported at the time.Īlarmingly for Democrats, Meredith also defended Kentucky’s anti-abortion legislation, including a law that forced patients to undergo an ultrasound and listen to audio of the fetal “heartbeat” before terminating a pregnancy.

He then withheld records relating to these pardons from the Beshear administration. Meredith assisted Bevins with pardons in his capacity as legal counsel to the governor, recommending which applicants merited clemency. Attorneys later retried Baker in federal court he was once again convicted by a jury and sentenced to nearly four decades in prison. Most notably, the former governor pardoned Patrick Baker, a man convicted of homicide whose family hosted a political fundraiser for Bevins. He played an integral role in the controversial pardons that Bevin issued after losing reelection in 2019. Meredith is an especially controversial nominee because of his close ties with Matt Bevin, the former Republican governor.

We’re not gonna let Mitch McConnell appoint judges and other federal officials in a Democratic administration.’” You have to just confront him and say, ‘no, we’re not gonna appoint your people. “I understand how brutally manipulative Mitch is,” Yarmuth told Slate, “but at some point you have to stand up to him.
