“Joe Biden has reportedly scrapped plans to nominate a conservative pro-life judge to the Eastern District of Kentucky federal court after an objection from Sen. Rand Paul,” The Gateway Pundit reports.
Biden allegedly made a deal with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell to nominate former Kentucky solicitor general Chad Meredith.
It’s rumored that in exchange for Biden nominating Meredith, McConnell would not hold up other federal judge nominations from the White House.
Statement from White House spokesman: "In considering potential District Court nominees, the White House learned that Senator Rand Paul will not return a blue slip on Chad Meredith. Therefore, the White House will not nominate Mr. Meredith.”
Biden nomination now off.
— Joe Sonka 😐 (@joesonka) July 15, 2022
1. NEWS
Biden Drops Plan to Name Anti-Abortion Lawyer Backed by McConnell as Judge
Biden quietly agreed with McConnell to nominate Chad Meredith for a federal judgeship, but opposition from his fellow Kentuckian Rand Paul scuttled the deal. https://t.co/MOoaxrwMEe
— Yashar Ali 🐘 (@yashar) July 15, 2022
“In considering potential District Court nominees, the White House learned that Sen. Rand Paul will not return a blue slip on Chad Meredith,” Andrew Bates, White House deputy press secretary, said Friday. “Therefore, the White House will not nominate Mr. Meredith,” according to USA Today.
The White House’s retreat from its planned nomination of attorney Chad Meredith – in what was a purported deal with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell – follows a strong backlash from Democrats and progressives furious that Biden would choose a Federalist Society member who has argued against abortion access to fill a vacancy on the bench.
McConnell denies there was a deal with Biden, telling the New York Times that it was simply a “personal favor” from the White House.
“There was no deal,” said Mr. McConnell, adding that Mr. Biden’s consideration represented the kind of “collegiality” and once routine cooperation on home-state judges that has diminished in recent years. “This was a personal friendship gesture.”
“The net result of this is it has prevented me from getting my kind of judge out of a liberal Democratic president,” McConnell told the Times, calling Mr. Paul’s position “just utterly pointless.”
Despite Democrats and pro-abortion organizations expressing outrage over the pro-life judge, ironically, it was a Republican who stopped it.
The Gateway Pundit noted:
“We’re pleased that the Biden administration made this decision — it’s the right call,” NARAL Pro-Choice America President Mini Timmaraju said in a statement to USA Today. “With abortion rights and access on the line in Kentucky and across the country, it is absolutely essential that all judges defend and uphold our fundamental rights and freedoms, including reproductive freedom.”
On the other side, conservative organizations expressed disappointment that the plan had fallen through, particularly the Federalist Society, a group which Meredith belongs to.
“He is one of the most ethical people I’ve met in terms of watching him in the limelight over the past several years,” April Wimberg, the president of the Louisville chapter of the Federalist Society, told the Times. “I was very surprised that anyone, and especially Senator Paul, would have any opposition to him.”
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