Senate Confirms McConnell Protege Walker to D.C. Circuit (1)

Federal judge Justin Walker, a protege of Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, was confirmed Thursday to a seat on the U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington.

Walker won Senate approval to the court widely considered the second-highest in the nation, handing President Donald Trump a victory on his most contentious judicial nomination this year. The triumph was muted some by elevated Republican tension over rulings this week by the majority conservative Supreme Court underscoring LGBTQ worker rights and upholding an Obama-era immigration program.

Democrats opposed Walker’s appointment, arguing that his record on healthcare and LGBTQ rights was partisan. The ...