Choose Your Parties Carefully
Apparently, those who have aspirations to the federal judiciary need not only be careful about what they write while in law school, they also have to be careful about what parties they attend. Senator Sam Brownback of Kansas has placed a hold on the nomination of Judge Janet T. Neff to the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan. Her big faux pas? In 2002 she attended* the Massachusetts commitment ceremony** of a former neighbor to her female partner. As if that weren’t bad enough, Neff was part of a 6-judge compromise package that unanimously passed the Senate Judiciary Committee. Because they were sent to the floor as a package, Brownback’s hold has the effect of halting confirmation proceedings for all six. So if you have your sights set on the federal judiciary, I suggest avoiding any social interactions at all with people the religious right finds personally offensive.
UPDATE: It appears that at least some of the judges were confirmed on the last day of the lame duck session.
* Not presided, mind you, just attended.
** This was, of course, before same-sex marriage became legal in Massachusetts, so the ceremony had no legal effect. Just imagine Brownback’s conniptions if it had been an actual legal marriage.
