Anti-gay lawyer Kyle Duncan was confirmed as a federal judge
Kyle Duncan, the vehemently anti-gay lawyer that defended Hobby Lobby to the Supreme Court back in 2014, has been confirmed as a federal judge. This is a lifetime appointment.
Duncan was President Trump’s nominee for 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans. He was confirmed for the position on Tuesday, 29 May. The vote was 50-47.
Kyle Duncan’s beliefs
In addition to being anti-LGBTI and supporting a same-sex marriage ban in Louisiana, Duncan also opposes the Affordable Care Act’s contraceptive mandate and defends harsh voter ID laws.
Last year, he represented a Virginia school board in a high-profile case about a trans student and bathroom use.
A number of liberal advocacy groups call Duncan ‘unfit’ and ‘extreme.’ Many Democrats question whether he could be an impartial judge, considering the cases he’s worked on.
‘He is out of the mainstream,’ said Connecticut Senator Richard Blumenthal, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee. ‘In fact, he is out of the stream entirely.’
Condemnation
LGBTI rights groups, including Lambda Legal, The Human Rights Campaign, and GLAAD, condemned Duncan’s confirmation.
‘Lambda Legal very quickly identified Kyle Duncan as one of President Trump’s worst nominees. His clear and abundant record opposing voting rights, women’s right to access contraception, and civil rights for the LGBT community singled him out in a very crowded field,’ Lambda Legal CEO Rachel B. Tiven said in a statement.
‘We moved quickly to unite a coalition to oppose Duncan’s confirmation, a coalition including several members of Congress, leaders from all the nation’s major civil rights organizations, dozens of national, state and local LGBT organizations and Americans who have suffered directly at the hands of Duncan’s discriminatory attacks.’
‘Kyle Duncan has made a career for himself targeting LGBT children and families,’ Tiven continued. ‘The idea that Mr. Duncan will cast aside his bigoted beliefs overnight, and miraculously transform into an impartial judge, is ludicrous and reckless. His career has been one long grudge match against women and LGBT Americans – now the Trump/Pence Administration is making him a referee.’
‘No one with Kyle Duncan’s record of bias should ever serve as a judge. We will be watching Mr. Duncan’s decisions, and making sure all Americans know what their Senators voted for in confirming him. This vote will not be forgotten, nor will those who continue to help this administration rig our legal system. Lambda Legal will keep fighting for equality in court, because the law is on our side.’
