The Senate Judiciary Committee voted to approve Brett Talley to be a federal judge in Alabama despite the fact he has never tried a case, was rated "not qualified" by the American Bar Association and has only practiced law for three years, the Los Angeles Times reported.
As a blogger, Talley demonstrated a degree of partisanship unusual for a judicial nominee, the newspaper noted. He has made reference to "Hillary Rotten Clinton" and pledged support for the National Rifle Association, according to the Times.
Talley, 36, was approved by the Senate panel on a party-line vote.
"He’s practiced law for less than three years and never argued a motion, let alone brought a case," said Kristine Lucius, executive vice president of the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights “This is the least amount of experience I’ve seen in a judicial nominee.”
The group was one of several liberal organizations urging the panel to reject President Donald Trump’s nominee. They questioned his "temperament and ability to approach cases with the fairness and open-mindedness necessary to serve as a federal judge.”
Meanwhile, the Judicial Crisis Network downplayed the ABA’s "not qualified" rating for Talley.
"The ABA is a liberal interest group," said Carrie Severino, counsel for the Judicial Crisis Network." They have a long history of giving lower ratings to Republican nominees."
The newspaper noted Talley has degrees from the University of Alabama and Harvard Law School. He worked as a clerk for two federal judges and served as a speech writer for Mitt Romney’s presidential campaign.
He also previously worked as a deputy assistant attorney general in the Justice Department's Office of Legal Policy, which considers judicial nominees, according to The Hill.
He also had worked as Alabama’s deputy solicitor general.
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