Senate Republicans are doing untold damage to our federal judiciary by rubber-stamping so many of President Trump’s radical & unqualified judicial nominees. Today, it was Lawrence VanDyke. Here is some of what we know about Mr. VanDyke:
The American Bar Association’s peer review process found Mr. VanDyke “not qualified” and described him as “arrogant, lazy, an ideologue, and lacking in knowledge of the day-to-day practice.” Americans deserve qualified, non-ideological judges with proper temperament.
Emails show that Mr. VanDyke has let the gun lobby shape his litigation decisions. And during his unsuccessful campaign for the Montana Supreme Court, he sought the NRA’s endorsement, saying that gun control laws are “misdirected.” He prejudged the issue.
Speaking of Montana—Mr. VanDyke only moved to Nevada, the state where he will now serve as a judge, after he failed to win office in Montana. He only became an active member of the NV bar in 2017. Why didn’t Republicans choose someone with longstanding NV ties?
Mr. VanDyke also has a long record of attacking LGBTQ rights and a woman’s right to choose. He refused to say that he believes same-sex couples can effectively raise children. His extreme statements make him entirely unfit to serve as a judge.
We have seen many unqualified, unfit judicial nominees under President Trump. Lawrence VanDyke is one of the worst. It’s a shame that my Republican colleagues have chosen to rubber-stamp his confirmation.
