The president’s losing streak continues. Ever since that awful debate in June, he can’t buy a win.
As Biden suffers an awful federal court loss that could change everything.
Senate Judiciary Committee Rejects Controversial Judicial Nominee
In a surprising turn of events, President Joe Biden’s judicial nominee, Magistrate Judge Sarah Netburn, faced defeat in the Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday.
The committee, led by Democrats, voted 10-11 against advancing her nomination to the full Senate for a position on the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. Notably, Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-GA) joined Republicans in opposing Netburn’s nomination.
The controversy surrounding Netburn stemmed from her involvement in a 2022 case where a transgender female, convicted of child r*pe and distribution of child p*rnography, was placed in a women’s prison.
This case has sparked intense debate and scrutiny over Netburn’s qualifications and judgment.
While Ossoff’s spokesperson declined to elaborate on the senator’s reasons for voting against Netburn, a statement provided to the Washington Examiner emphasized his commitment to thorough evaluation: “Senator Ossoff thoroughly evaluates each nominee who comes before the Judiciary Committee and will continue to apply rigorous and independent judgment on behalf of his constituents.”
Republican senators were vocal in their criticism, arguing that Netburn’s nomination reflected a trend of unqualified judicial appointments by the Biden administration.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) questioned the judgment of his Democratic colleagues: “Why on Earth do our Democratic colleagues continue to entertain lifetime promotions for nominees with a demonstrated inability to do their job? This sort of gross negligence is damning. It’s disqualifying. And frankly, the Netburn nomination isn’t worth another second of the Judiciary Committee’s time, let alone the Senate’s.”
In defense, Democrats argued that the controversy was exaggerated and that Netburn did not have the authority to determine the prison placement of the transgender inmate, William McClain, who goes by July Justine Shelby.
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Dick Durbin (D-IL) clarified, “As a magistrate, she did not have the authority to order this man into the Bureau of Prisons or out of the Bureau of Prisons. That authority resided in the district court judge.”
In her written responses to the committee, Netburn echoed this sentiment, stating she merely made recommendations: “I faithfully applied the law to the facts in reaching my recommendation. The district judge adopted my report and recommendation and concluded it was thorough, detailed, and well-reasoned. I did not order the Bureau of Prisons to do anything. The district judge ordered the Bureau of Prisons to transfer the petitioner to the female facility.”
Netburn also noted that the Bureau of Prisons did not challenge the district court judge’s order and reported no disciplinary or safety issues related to the inmate’s placement.
However, Republicans remained unconvinced. They argued that Netburn’s involvement facilitated the inmate’s controversial placement, citing incidents of the inmate exposing themselves to female prisoners.
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), the committee’s ranking member, asserted, “You get no pass. You get no ‘it’s not my problem’ from our point of view. You had a chance to stop a bad thing, and it’s about your judgment. This is wrong. This is dangerous.”
The debate over Netburn’s nomination highlights the broader partisan divide and the contentious nature of judicial appointments in the current political climate.
It also shows just how radical the Left really is and how desperate they are to try and nominate fellow radicals into judgeships around the country.
Thankfully this nominee was stopped but that doesn’t mean the Democrats won’t try again with nominating more radical judges.
Stay tuned to The Federalist Wire.
