More Problems with Biden's Judicial Nominees

The problems continue with President Joe Biden's judicial nominees. Of particular concern is Nancy Abudu, who Biden recently nominated to serve on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit. Concerns with her nomination should come as no surprise considering Abudu currently works as the Southern Poverty Law Center's Strategic Litigation Director. Some of Abudu's most outlandish remarks concern her opinions on election integrity measures.

Quin Hilyer explained in an opinion piece for The Washington Examiner:

Abudu has not been content merely to disagree with widespread voter integrity measures, but insists they are active efforts at “voter suppression.” Requiring an ID to vote? Suppression. Disallowing student IDs for voting (because, of course, college students usually remain legal residents in their hometowns, not at the college town)? Suppression. And, get this, asking that someone not vote unless he is a U.S. citizen (rather than, say, a citizen of Red China)? That, too, is “suppression.”

But that's not all. The article continues:

Less than two years ago, Abudu wrote that laws keeping felons from voting are “practically the same system as during slavery.”

Yes, you read that correctly: Abudu argues that the duly considered laws, enacted through legitimate representative government, deciding when and how people who have committed crimes can recover their voting privileges, are the equivalent of slavery. And this was not an offhand, ill-considered remark. And it wasn’t done years ago in some college setting when the exuberance of youth sometimes leads to spewing nonsense. This was in 2020, in a published article while wielding a position of professional authority.

Tennessee Senators Marsha Blackburn and Bill Hagerty are raising alarm bells about another nominee, Andre Mathis, who Biden nominated to the 6th Circuit. Fox News reported

Republican senators from Tennessee said President Biden's nominee to serve as the U.S. Circuit Judge for the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals "believes himself to be above the law," after the FBI's background investigation found he had his driver's license suspended on three occasions, and slammed Biden for not taking the time to "meaningfully engage" with them before making his nomination.

Fox News first obtained and reported on a letter Andre Mathis wrote to Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Dick Durbin, D-Ill., and Ranking Member Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, addressing details of the FBI's background investigation, which showed a suspension of his license three times due to driving-related citations ranging between 2008 and 2011. 

During a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, Senator Blackburn also expressed concerns about his record submitting briefs to the Sixth Circuit.

On the agenda for a Senate Judiciary hearing tomorrow is yet another controversial nominee, Dale Ho, who was nominated to the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. 

Senators should hold the Biden Administration accountable for nominating controversial judicial nominees with their votes.