President Joe Biden is expected to propose an extreme Republican anti-abortion attorney for a lifetime appointment as a federal judge in Kentucky.
This nomination is highly opposed by fellow Democrat and U.S. Representative for Louisville, John Yarmuth.
The nomination of Chad Meredith appears to be the result of a deal with U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell, ostensibly in exchange for the Senate Minority Leader agreeing not to block future federal nominations by the Biden White House, according to Yarmuth and other officials who confirmed the nomination to The Courier-Journal.
Robert Steurer, McConnell’s spokesperson, stated that he would not respond until Biden’s nomination.
Meredith and a spokesman for Kentucky’s Democratic governor, Andy Beshear, also declined to comment in response to a request.
The White House declined to comment as well, stating, “We do not comment on vacancies.”
Meredith, a member of the Federalist Society, worked as deputy counsel for former Kentucky governor Matt Bevin and, most recently, as solicitor general for Attorney General Daniel Cameron. Cameron is currently a candidate for the 2023 Republican nomination for governor.
Given that he has fiercely advocated women’s right to abortion, which the U.S. Supreme Court nullified last Friday by reversing Roe v. Wade, Biden’s candidacy is surprising.
Yarmuth declared in a message to The Courier-Journal on Wednesday that he vehemently disagrees with the nomination and the alleged agreement Biden made with McConnell.
Yarmuth cited a bigger agreement between the president and Mitch McConnell about judicial nominees, and it is clear from the fact that there is no longer a vacancy on the Eastern District Court that this is a part of that deal.
Biden’s nomination is unexpected, given that he has vigorously defended women’s right to abortion, which the U.S. Supreme Court invalidated last Friday by overturning Roe v. Wade.
Yarmuth told The Courier-Journal in a statement on Wednesday that he firmly opposes the nomination and the apparent deal Biden reached with McConnell.
Given that there is now no vacancy on the Eastern District Court, it is evident that this is part of a larger agreement between the president and Mitch McConnell over judicial nominees, as mentioned by Yarmuth.
“I am vehemently opposed to this agreement and Meredith’s nomination to this office. Another radical on the bench is the last thing we need.”
Read more:-
- State and municipal governments’ reaction to the Dobbs v. Jackson decision by the United States Supreme Court
- Why Walmart Is Having Issues With the United States Government
- Supreme Court Raises the Status of Second Amendment Rights to New Heights
There are currently no vacancies for federal judgeships in Kentucky’s Eastern District, thus Meredith’s nomination would need to coincide with a judge’s announcement that they are stepping down or retiring.
Meredith defended a 2017 Kentucky law requiring doctors who perform abortions to conduct an ultrasound and describe the image to the patient.
The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the Act after he lost a trial in federal court.
Meredith, Cameron’s senior appellate attorney, successfully defended state legislation in the Kentucky Supreme Court that deprived Gov. Beshear of his emergency authority to apply COVID-19 limits.
