McConnell eyes advancing Justin Walker nomination next week
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is eyeing moving forward next week on Justin Walker, President Donald Trump’s nominee to the second most powerful court in the country, according to a GOP aide.
The Senate Judiciary Committee approved Walker’s nomination 12-10 to the D.C. Court of Appeals along party lines Thursday. The 38-year-old Walker, who is from Louisville, Ky., has known McConnell for years and is expected to be confirmed. McConnell is expected to file for cloture in the coming days.
Prior to the vote, Senate Democrats reiterated their opposition to the nominee and raised concerns about his views of the Affordable Care Act, particularly amid the coronavirus pandemic and said he lacked sufficient legal experience.
“Can we be honest for a moment here among ourselves?” said Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.). “Justin Walker is in line for this lifetime appointment to the second highest court in the land for two reasons: he’s a family friend of Sen. McConnell and he’s an outspoken critic of the Affordable Care Act.”
“His record leaves me with real concerns that he won’t be able to separate his political beliefs from his judicial opinions,” added Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.). “At a time when hundreds of thousands of Americans have been sickened by Covid-19, Judge Walker has repeatedly attacked the Affordable Care Act.”
Walker penned an op-ed in 2018 that dubbed the Supreme Court’s decision to uphold Obamacare as “indefensible.” Walker insisted during his May confirmation hearing that he wrote the piece while he was an academic and not in his current role as a federal judge for the Western District of Kentucky.
McConnell (R-Ky.) and the conservative legal community have lauded Trump for nominating Walker to the D.C. Court of Appeals and have touted his legal credentials. He previously clerked for retired Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy, as well as Justice Brett Kavanaugh when he was on the D.C. Court of Appeals. The American Bar Association recently rated Walker as “well-qualified” for the role, after rating him "not qualified" last year for his current position.
McConnell has vowed to "leave no vacancy behind" and has prioritized confirming conservative judges to the federal judiciary.
During his confirmation hearing, Walker said that he would defend Kennedy and Kavanaugh “until the cows come home.”
Walker’s hearing in May sparked ire from Senate Democrats, who accused McConnell of only bringing the Senate back to confirm the Kentucky judge, who interned for him.
The Senate confirmed Walker to his current position in October, along party lines.
CLARIFICATION: This story has been updated to reflect that Mitch McConnell plans to advance Justin Walker’s nomination next week.
