Senate Judiciary Approves Trump Fifth Circuit Pick Cory Wilson

The Senate Judiciary Committee approved Cory Wilson’s nomination to be a U.S. appeals court judge, edging President Donald Trump closer to his 200th judicial confirmation.

The panel on Thursday approved Wilson’s nomination to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit in a 12-10 party-line vote, with committee Democrats objecting based on what they called a partisan record. The New Orleans-based court seat is the only current federal appeals court vacancy.

Wilson, who is a state court judge in Mississippi and was previously a state legislator, has long been vocal about his political views through op-eds and on social media. Democrats opposed his nomination because of his stances on the Affordable Care Act and civil rights issues.

Sen. Kamala Harris, a California Democrat, said his nomination is a contrast to what those protesting against racial injustice across the country are fighting for.

“His record is in fact an antithesis to what the American people are marching for and demanding right now,” Harris said of the nationwide protests following the death of George Floyd at the hands of police in Minneapolis.

She referenced a 2011 op-ed in which Wilson wrote in the Madison Country Journal that claims that a voter identification law would suppress voters in Mississippi were “Poppycock. Unless you count the dead vote, in which case they may be right.”

Wilson also criticized Sen. Richard Durbin, an Illinois Democrat, in a 2012 op-ed for his work on the Judiciary Committee investigating voter suppression, calling hearings his subcommittee held “show hearings.”

“This record is extremely problematic at this moment in time,” Harris said, pointing to the recent issues in Georgia‘s June 9 primary that included technical problems resulting in long lines and waiting times for would-be voters.

Republican Support

Wilson, however, had strong support from Republicans who said his past comments would be separate from his role as a judge.

At Wilson’s confirmation hearing, Senate Judiciary Chairman Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) challenged his Democratic colleagues’ criticism of his political statements.

“Who do you think we’re going to pick? We’re going to pick people that think like us that will be good judges. And when you get in charge, if you ever do, you’re going to pick people from your world,” Graham said at the May 20 hearing.

Wilson will now await along with Justin Walker, Trump’s pick for the D.C. Circuit, on the Senate floor where the nominations are expected to move quickly. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) filed for cloture to end debate on Walker’s nomination on Wednesday, which brings him one step closer to a floor vote.

Walker will replace Circuit Judge Thomas B. Griffith, who has already announced his intent to step down in September.

Both nominations near confirmation votes as Trump approaches 200 judicial appointments. With the help of a Republican-led Senate, Trump has made good on his 2016 campaign promise to fill the judiciary with conservatives.

Trump has appointed 51 appeals court judges, 143 trial court judges, two international trade court judges and two Supreme Court justices, which leaves him two shy of 200.

The open seat on the Fifth Circuit has also been one of the most difficult appeals vacancies to fill. The previous nominee to that seat, Halil Suleyman Ozerden, faltered due to concerns of two Republican senators, Ted Cruz of Texas and Josh Hawley of Missouri, that he wasn’t conservative enough.