US: Senate committee approves slate of anti-LGBTQ judges

The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee voted to approve the nominations of 23 Trump appointees to the executive and judicial branches, including six nominees who have gained notoriety for their past opposition to civil rights protections for the LGBTQ community.

The five judicial nominees with questionable LGBTQ records were: Kyle Duncan, nominated for a seat on the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals; David Stras, nominated for the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals — and someone thought to be a “short-list” nominee for a future seat on the U.S. Supreme Court; Matthew Kacsmaryk, a nominee for the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas; Thomas Farr, a nominee to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina; and Mark Norris, a nominee to the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Tennessee.

LGBTQ advocates and their allies, mostly Democrats, also objected to the confirmation of Eric Dreiband to be Assistant Attorney General of the Civil Rights Division. That nomination was approved by the committee on a party-line vote as well.  Read more via MetroWeekly