More good news today. Federal judge candidates Jeff Mateer, a reknowned homophobe, and Brett Talley, a ghosthunting amateur, both egregiously unqualified, will not be confirmed, according to Senate Judiciary Committee head Chuck Grassley. Washington Post:
Talley — who writes horror books and has participated in ghost-hunting activities — has practiced law for only three years and has never tried a case.
Republicans have defended Talley, with some accusing the ABA of a liberal bias. But in the time since the committee voted on his nomination, reports have identified him as the author of an online comment in 2011 defending “the first KKK.”
Past comments by Mateer have also been brought into the spotlight. According to other reports, in 2015 he said he believed transgender children were “Satan’s plan” and defended a judge’s right to support certain kinds of discrimination, including on the basis of sexual orientation.
Senator Dianne Feinstein made the comment about the Trump administration, “I hope that they will be more discriminating in how they select their nominees.” To say the least. These two nominees were a complete disgrace. They belong inside the pages of parody and emphatically nowhere near the bench.