Long time readers may recall that I’ve been following the bizarre tale of Janet Neff, a Bush judicial nominee for a federal District Court judge in Michigan. Generally, it’s Senate Dems who object to the president’s court nominees, sparking howls of “obstructionism!” by the GOP, but in this case, Sen. Sam Brownback (R-Kan.) has blocked Neff’s nomination for nearly a year.<\/p>\n
Neff was also considered a non-controversial pick for the federal bench. However, Brownback — who, up until quite recently, insisted that every judicial nominee, without exception, deserves an up-or-down vote — learned that Neff was on hand for a public ceremony in which two lesbians pledged their commitment to one another. (One of the women was the daughter of a family who had lived next door to Neff for 26 years.) It was not a marriage ceremony and, despite some rumors to the contrary, Neff did not officiate.<\/p>\n
No matter. Brownback blocked her nomination, effectively arguing that being friends with a gay neighbor for more than two decades necessarily disqualifies<\/a> a person for the federal bench, even if you’re nominated by the Bush White House.<\/p>\n It led to today’s confrontation<\/a>.<\/p>\n Republican presidential candidate Sam Brownback grilled a judge who attended a same-sex union ceremony in 2002, but said he would no longer block her nomination. […]<\/p>\n Brownback questioned her during a hearing Thursday. Neff said the ceremony, held in September 2002 in Massachusetts, was for the daughter of close family friends and her partner. Neff said she gave a homily, but did not preside over the service.<\/p>\n “But the ceremony itself, you would classify as what you would call a commitment ceremony?” Brownback asked.<\/p>\n “That is, I think, what it was called at the time,” Neff said.<\/p>\n “And was it a marriage ceremony?” Brownback asked.<\/p>\n “It was not,” Neff said.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Neff answered these exact questions months ago; Brownback already knew the truth. But he held up this qualified nominee for a year so he could berate a Bush pick for the federal bench in open hearing. Why? Because a) she dared to be friends with a gay neighbor; and b) so he could show off his bigoted bona fides during the presidential election.
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\nKeep in mind, Brownback’s obstructionism wasn’t limited to just Neff.<\/p>\n