Colorado Supreme Court Justice Allison Eid cleared the Senate Judiciary Committee on a party-line vote Thursday, with Republicans accusing Democrats of opposing the women President Trump has picked for top appeals court seats.
Mr. Trump nominated Justice Eid to fill the federal appeals court seat left empty by Supreme Court Justice Neil M. Gorsuch.
The committee approved the nomination on an 11-9 vote, with Democrats complaining Justice Eid is too conservative to claim the seat. They also said they worried about the direction of some of her rulings on workers’ rights and criminal justice.
“As Justice Gorsuch’s replacement on the 10th Circuit, her record suggests she would echo his conservative approach to the law,” said Sen. Dianne Feinstein, ranking Democrat on the committee.
But Chairman Sen. Charles E. Grassley, Iowa Republican, said Justice Eid has more than a decade of experience a a state supreme court justice and bipartisan support from her colleagues in Colorado.
He also said he was disheartened by his Democratic colleagues who voted against two female circuit court judges earlier this month, Amy Barrett for the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals and Justice Joan Larsen for the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, because Democrats said it was “unjust” when Republicans would vote against President Obama’s female nominees in 2013.
“I don’t want to see a double standard on qualified female nominees from different presidents,” Mr. Grassley said.
The committee also split down party line for Stephanos Bibas, who Mr. Trump picked for the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
Sen. Richard Durbin, Illinois Democrat, cited Mr. Bibas’ legal writing about corporal punishment, where he suggested electric shock was a viable option for punishment.
“This man is outside the mainstream of American legal thinking. I believe he is outside the mainstream of conservative legal thinking,” Mr. Durbin said.
Two district court judges also received a party-line vote on Thursday, while four others were approved by unanimous votes.
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