(DCWatchdog.com) – An influential conservative judicial advocacy group, the Judicial Crisis Network, has slammed GOP US Senator Lindsey Graham after he voted in favor of President Joe Biden’s court nominees last week.
The Judicial Crisis Network’s reaction comes after Graham became the top-ranking Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, The Hill reported.
On Tuesday, the conservative nonprofit’s president, Carrie Severino, emphasized that Graham was the only Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee who supported 12 of Biden’s judicial nominees.
Those included Biden’s choice for the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals, Bradley Garcia, who may become a future nominee for the U.S. Supreme Court.
“If the tables were turned, it’s hard to imagine a scenario where a Democrat would break ranks like this,” Severino wrote about Sen. Lindsey Graham’s votes on Twitter.
“I hope that what we saw last week is not a preview of what we can expect from Graham as ranking member for the next two years,” she added.
The report notes Graham’s touting his “bipartisan approach” to judicial appointments and his understanding that a president is entitled to pick his favorites if they are qualified.
Graham’s action, however, has raised eyebrows among conservatives who fear that they may enable Biden to appoint another liberal Supreme Court justice after Ketanji Brown Jackson.
The head of the Judicial Crisis Network told The Hill in additional comments that Biden’s D.C. Circuit nominee, Bradley Garcia, is supported by dark-money liberal groups and espouses worrying religious liberty views. Garcia would be the first Latino to serve on D.C. Circuit if appointed.
Last year, Severino slammed Garcia for his actions as the counsel of record in June Medical v. Russo, a case that challenged Louisiana legislation requiring admitting privileges at a local hospital for doctors performing abortions.
The First Liberty Institute, a religious liberty nonprofit, has warned of Garcia’s legal theories that he put forth in Our Lady of Guadalupe School v. Morrisey-Berru, a 2020 Supreme Court case.
“The door would have opened wide for interference with the independent employment decisions of religious schools [if the Supreme Court had adopted Garcia’s views],” the group said.
Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Graham’s predecessor as the ranking Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, questioned Garcia over the latter’s private practice litigation “against Catholic elementary schools.” Garcia has argued federal courts are entitled to intervene in the appointments of teachers at religious schools.
Severino noted that Biden’s nominee for the D.C. Circuit had defended a ban on transporting handguns outside New York City.
Last year, Grassley challenged Garcia’s position that Second Amendment rights were limited concerning firearms training.
During last week’s committee sitting, Senator Lindsey Graham called upon the other Republicans on the panel to collaborate with the Democrats to advance Biden’s nominees.
“Elections have consequences. Let’s work together, and we’ll get some nominations moving in the spirit of what we did in the last Congress,” Graham said.
What is your opinion about Senator Graham’s decision to collaborate with Democrats and vote for Democrat-nominated judges? Please share your thoughts by emailing [email protected]. Thank you.
