Biden May Soon Nominate An Anti-Abortion Federal Judge — To Appease Mitch McConnell

Breaking Business Biden May Soon Nominate An Anti-Abortion Federal Judge — To Appease Mitch McConnell Alison Durkee Forbes Staff New! Follow this author to improve your content experience. Got it! Jul 1, 2022, 12:09pm EDT | Share to Facebook Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Topline President Joe Biden may soon appoint an anti-abortion judge to the federal bench as part of a broader deal with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky. )—despite Democrats in the state calling that choice “indefensible.

” Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) attends a news conference on Capitol Hill February 1, . . .

[+] 2022 in Washington, DC. Getty Images Key Facts U. S.

District Judge Karen Caldwell will take “senior status” and retire from the federal bench, according to the U. S. Courts website , which was updated Friday and first reported by the Louisville Courier Journal .

The news of Caldwell’s retirement came days after Rep. John Yarmuth (D-Ky. ) and Kentucky Gov.

Andy Beshear (D) said the White House told them of the president’s intention to nominate Chad Meredith to the Eastern District of Kentucky, which they strongly oppose. Meredith is a conservative attorney who previously served as deputy counsel to former Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin (R) and as solicitor general for state attorney general, Daniel Cameron (R), and he argued in favor of the state’s abortion restrictions in court in 2018.

Beshear said Meredith also played a role in Bevin’s controversial pardons on his way out of office, which included people convicted of rape and murder, and critics suggested may have been political in nature. Yarmuth said in a statement Biden’s potential nomination of Meredith is seemingly part of “some larger deal on judicial nominations” between Trump and McConnell, and the Courier Journal notes Yarmuth and other Democrats believe the nomination is a way for Biden to stop McConnell from stymying other Biden judicial appointments. The White House has not yet responded to a request for comment and has so far declined to comment on whether Biden is considering nominating Meredith.

What To Watch For It’s still unclear when exactly Caldwell will retire and Meredith or another judge could replace her, the Courier Journal notes. Surprising Fact Meredith had previously been vetted for a federal judge position by the Trump administration, but was later dropped from consideration, the Courier Journal previously reported. It is unclear why, though the newspaper notes McConnell has long pushed for the conservative attorney to receive a federal appointment.

Crucial Quote “If the president makes that nomination, it is indefensible,” Beshear said Thursday about Biden’s stated intention to nominate Meredith. What We Don’t Know Whether there could be more conservative judicial appointments to come. Republicans could take back the Senate in November, which would put McConnell back in charge of the chamber and give him the ability to block the president’s judicial nominees from being confirmed.

Biden could strike deals with McConnell to allow more right-leaning judges through as a way to also get his own preferred nominees confirmed if that happens, George Washington University law professor John Collins told Reuters . “It’ll probably be a package of red state nominees,” he said. Key Background Biden’s consideration of the anti-abortion Meredith comes right after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v.

Wade , giving states including Kentucky license to ban abortion, and ensuring a number of court battles over the implication of the court’s decision in the years ahead. Kentucky had a trigger ban that took effect in the wake of the decision, but a state court blocked that law and a separate ban on abortions after six weeks on Thursday as the case moves forward. While Biden has installed a record number of judicial nominees so far during his presidency, they’ve largely been concentrated in states that are more favorable to Democrats, and the Brookings Institution notes the president hadn’t nominated any judges to courts in states with Republican senators as of September.

That’s likely because senators have some opportunity to block judicial nominees from their states, as they can submit their opinions on the nominee to the Senate Judiciary Committee, which will take them into consideration when they consider the potential judge and potentially thwart their confirmation. Further Reading Kentucky federal judge to step down, opening seat for Biden’s anti-abortion GOP nominee (Louisville Courier Journal) Biden intends to nominate a conservative, anti-abortion lawyer to federal judgeship, Kentucky Democrats say (CNN) Critics assail Biden plan to nominate GOP abortion opponent to judgeship (Reuters) Follow me on Twitter . Send me a secure tip .

Alison Durkee Editorial Standards Print Reprints & Permissions.