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| Their t-shirts all had a different loathsome quote from Neomi Rao on them. She's a real piece of work. |
.@SenBlumenthal: In 2014, you called the Gun-Free School Zones Act a "grandstanding statute." Do you believe that?— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) February 5, 2019
RAO: "No, that--"
BLUMENTHAL: Well then why did you say it?
RAO: "I was responding to person I was interviewing."
B: I hope you'll rethink that view pic.twitter.com/MZSYqw42MA
Oof -- Rao struggles to explain articles she wrote at Yale claiming things like LGBT groups spread "myths" about AIDS and arguing that notions of racial & sexual oppression are overblown.— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) February 5, 2019
"Your early writings raise questions about your values," @SenatorDurbin tells her. pic.twitter.com/BrrdfxBiwu
.@SenJoniErnst tells Rao about her writings shifting blame onto women for rape, "I had a chance to review a number of your writings while you were in college. They do give me pause. Not just from my own personal experiences but regarding messages we send young women everywhere." pic.twitter.com/iMMrFcGEjz— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) February 5, 2019
Rao is grilled about past writings in which she was critical of restrictions on dwarf-tossing.— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) February 5, 2019
It's like she was on a mission to take the most loathsome position possible on all issues. pic.twitter.com/NSkN4SKOQo
.@CoryBooker: Are gay relationships in your view immoral?— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) February 5, 2019
RAO: ... Senator, I'm not sure the relevance of that...
BOOKER: Do you believe they are a sin?
RAO: Senator, my personal views on any of these subjects are things I would put on one side. pic.twitter.com/4geaoaAww3
Ted Cruz is comparing a man who climbed on the top of a train and electrocuted himself to rape victims, welp, at least it's Friday https://t.co/MeMK6XkQce— Andrew Rose Gregory (@arosegregory) February 5, 2019
The Senate Judiciary Committee’s new chairman, Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.), is moving quickly to confirm additional judges. The panel is scheduled to vote Thursday on a slate of nominees, including a half-dozen appeals court picks.
The D.C. Circuit is often referred to as the nation’s second-highest court because it reviews high-profile cases involving government regulations and separation of powers issues and because it has been something of a pipeline to the Supreme Court. Four current justices previously served on the D.C. Circuit.
In recent years, the appeals court has ruled on cases involving gun control laws, the Trump restrictions on transgender troops serving in the military and the use of military commissions to prosecute terrorism suspects.
But it was questions about Rao’s early writing rather than the court’s docket that dominated the discussion Tuesday. In a 1994 column, Rao wrote: “It has always seemed self-evident to me that even if I drank a lot, I would still be responsible for my actions. A man who rapes a drunk girl should be prosecuted. At the same time, a good way to avoid a potential date rape is to stay reasonably sober.”
Rao said at the hearing that her specific suggestion about women and alcohol was meant as “common sense observation” about “actions women can take to be less likely to become victims.”
Rao was rated “well qualified” by the American Bar Association this week and Republican Senators defended her record. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) noted she was unequivocal in the 1990s — and now — that anyone who commits a crime of violence should be prosecuted. Her suggestion that college students avoid excessive drinking, he said, is good advice, and he intends to give it to his own children.
“There is certainly nothing disqualifying here,” Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) said. “Judicial nominations have become a blood sport,” a reference to lingering bitterness over Kavanaugh’s contentious confirmation battle.