McConnell slams Biden judicial nominee for failing fundamental constitutional questions
Senate Minority Chief Mitch McConnell (R-KY) slammed President Joe Biden’s judicial nominee for the U.S. District Court docket for the Jap District of Washington on Tuesday after she did not reply fundamental questions in regards to the Structure.
Throughout her affirmation listening to final week, Spokane County Superior Court docket Decide Charnelle Bjelkengren failed to offer the aim of Article V of the Structure, which lays out the method of amending the Structure. She then did not reply one other basic query in regards to the objective of Article II, which establishes the powers of the presidency and the chief department.
BIDEN JUDICIAL NOMINEE DOESN’T KNOW WHAT CONSTITUTION DOES
“Goodness gracious,” McConnell stated, noting that Article II is one thing “excessive schoolers throughout America be taught every year,” based on the Hill. “’Article V isn’t coming to thoughts for the time being’ was the response. Sen. Kennedy got here again with one other much more fundamental request, ‘How about Article II?’ … However this sitting decide drew one other clean. Article II wasn’t coming to thoughts both.”
McConnell then famous that Bjelkengren additionally “flunked” Sen. John Kennedy’s (R-LA) questions on authorized philosophy and did not checklist her 10 most impactful court docket instances.
“At no stage of her skilled profession has this decide centered on federal regulation. At no level has she ever even appeared in federal court docket,” McConnell stated. “Is that this the caliber of authorized skilled with which President Biden is filling the federal bench? For lifetime appointments, is the bar for benefit and excellence actually set this low?”
The Kentucky Republican famous that Democrats slammed former President Donald Trump’s nominees for the federal bench, claiming they lacked sure {qualifications}, but they had been keen to look the opposite method for Biden’s picks.
“Democrats weren’t notably impressed or moved by the top-shelf skilled excellence or the educational brilliance that the final Republican administration’s nominees possessed in spades,” McConnell stated. “Apparently they don’t depend these qualities as notably excessive priorities now that they’re those doing the nominating.”
Final week’s listening to was not the primary time Kennedy had stumped a judicial nominee. In 2017, the Republican senator stumped Trump nominee Matthew Petersen with comparable questions. Nevertheless, Petersen withdrew his personal nomination after failing to reply Kennedy’s questions.
