CONFIRMING JUSTIN WALKER AS APPELLATE JUDGE

Voting 51 for and 42 against, the Senate on June 18 confirmed Justin R. Walker, 38, to serve on the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, which is regarded as the second most important U.S. court because it has jurisdiction over federal agencies and the regulations they issue. Walker’s judicial experience consists of nine months’ service as a federal district court judge in Kentucky. He is a former faculty member at the University of Louisville Law School and protg of Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, and his resume also includes clerkships for former Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy and thenJudge Brett Kavanaugh of the D.C. appellate court.

McConnell, R-Ky., said Walker has “demonstrated an impressive grasp of legal precedent. At his current post as district judge for the Western District of Kentucky, he eloquently applied this understanding to uphold Americans’ religious liberty, and he earned the approval of the American Bar Association with a rating of well-qualified.”

Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said: “I would like [Mitch] McConnell to go home and tell the citizens of Kentucky why he nominated someone who wants to repeal our healthcare law when the COVID crisis is hurting people there as it is everywhere else. In the middle of a national healthcare crisis, the Republican Senate majority is poised to confirm a judge who opposes [the Affordable Care Act].

A yes vote was to confirm the nominee.

ARKANSAS

Voting yes: Cotton, Boozman

TEXAS

Voting yes: Cornyn, Cruz