Posted on 07/19/2018 12:27:03 PM PDT by Lurking Libertarian
In a dramatic move Thursday, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell withdrew the nomination of President Donald Trump’s pick for the Ninth Circuit, Ryan Bounds, after reports surfaced that his nomination didn’t have enough votes for confirmation. Bounds, an assistant U.S. attorney in Oregon for the last eight years, was the Trump administration’s first nominee to the Ninth Circuit, named in September to replace Judge Diarmuid O’Scannlain, for whom Bounds clerked. O’Scannlain took senior status at the end of 2016.
Both of Bounds’ home-state senators, Democrats Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, opposed his nomination. They withheld their blue slips for Bounds, in part, claiming he failed to disclose to their screening committee opinion pieces he wrote for a conservative student paper during his undergraduate studies at Stanford University.
In one article, Bounds railed against “race-focused groups” on college campuses, accusing them of fostering what he described as “race-think.” During his confirmation hearing, Bounds acknowledged the “overheated” and “overbroad” nature of his rhetoric, but defended his record of helping promote diversity within the profession. [snip]
One Republican senator, Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, had indicated to colleagues earlier on Thursday he wouldn’t be able to vote for Bounds, according to a Capitol Hill reporter. Citing Bounds’ racial remarks, Scott said he needed more time before voting to approve the pick.
That was the previous 9th Circuit nominee, Bennett, who was confirmed. The problem there is that it was the seat allocated to Hawai'i, and conservative Republican lawyers are not thick on the ground in Hawai'i. Bennett was appointed Hawai'i Attorney General by Governor Lingle, the state's last Republican Governor.
Thanks.
Scott can go f%$#^ himself.
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