Earlier today, the White House released its first slate of federal judicial nominees since Joe Biden took office in January. As the Judicial Crisis Network's Carrie Severino told Fox News, this means it's "payback" time for liberal dark money groups.
President Biden has announced his first tranche of judicial nominees and as I explained on @FoxFriendsFirst this morning, it's payback time.
— Carrie Severino (@JCNSeverino) March 30, 2021
That is, payback time for the left-wing dark money groups that spent millions to elect him and Senate Democrats. pic.twitter.com/u8iy23Qw27
As Politico Playbook noted this morning, President Biden has been working overtime to appease the far left, and we can expect his judges to rubber stamp their extreme radical agenda. /1 pic.twitter.com/HzNWgrA7rj
— Carrie Severino (@JCNSeverino) March 30, 2021
The only question is exactly which left-wing dark money groups will succeed in getting their preferred standard bearers onto the courts. /3
— Carrie Severino (@JCNSeverino) March 30, 2021
Ironically, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, the king of dark money conspiracy theories, applauded Biden's picks. At least one of the nominees seems to directly reward liberal dark money interests.
I am pleased to see the White House nominate judges to help restore the federal bench after 4 years of special-interest court-packing. We must confirm this slate of qualified candidates, & lay bare the court-capture operation that special interests ran against our judiciary.
— Sheldon Whitehouse (@SenWhitehouse) March 30, 2021
Nominee to the D.C. Circuit, Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, previously appeared on Demand Justice's Supreme Court short list. Demand Justice is one of the most well-known and influential dark money groups.
In addition to the dark money another reason for this list could be the desire of Judiciary Committee Member Mazie Hirono who with Senator Tammy Duckworth has said they will only support diverse nominees. Hirono would effectively have a veto over nominees in the Judiciary Committee.
“I’ve been talking to them for months and they’re still not aggressive, so I’m not going to be voting for any nominee from the White House other than diversity nominees,” Duckworth told reporters. “I’ll be a no on everyone until they figure this out.”
That prompted Hawaii Sen. Mazie Hirono, the only other senator of Asian American heritage, to say, “I’m joining her in that.”
As Bloomberg reported progressives were also pressuring him to nominate diverse candidates:
The president has faced pressure from liberals to make good on promises to diversify the federal government through his picks for powerful posts.
The full list of nominees is as follows:
- Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson: Nominee for the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit
- Tiffany Cunningham: Nominee for the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
- Candace Jackson-Akiwumi: Nominee for the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
- Judge Deborah Boardman: Nominee for the United States District Court for the District of Maryland
- Judge Lydia Griggsby: Nominee for the United States District Court for the District of Maryland
- Julien Neals: Nominee for the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey
- Judge Florence Y. Pan: Nominee for the United States District Court for the District of Columbia
- Judge Zahid N. Quraishi: Nominee for the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey
- Regina Rodriguez: Nominee for the United States District Court for the District of Colorado
- Margaret Strickland: Nominee for the United States District Court for the District of New Mexico
- Judge Rupa Ranga Puttagunta: Nominee for the Superior Court of the District of Columbia
Dark Money and diversity pressures seem to be guiding President Biden's choices for judges. Are qualifications important as well?