‘Not Qualified’ Nominee for Ninth Circuit Likely To Be Confirmed

Lawrence VanDyke is poised for confirmation to the nation’s largest federal appeals court despite an American Bar Association assessment finding him unqualified and potentially unsupportive of LGBT rights.

The Senate will consider confirming him as early as Dec. 11 after it voted along party lines to invoke cloture, or limit debate, on his nomination that also has been criticized over his legal stance on environmental issues while an attorney representing state governments and the Trump administration.

If confirmed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, VanDyke would be the 50th appeals court judge appointed by Trump, which ...