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Trump Appeals Court Nominee Draws Fire For Blog Posts

bgdlegal.com

Louisville lawyer John Bush is still awaiting a vote on his confirmation to be a judge on the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals. During hearings last month, he dodged questions dealing with controversial blog posts he penned under a pseudonym.

On the Elephants in the Bluegrass blog, Bush wrote that the landmark Supreme Court decision dealing with abortion, Roe vs. Wade, was decided by “activist judges.”

He also said that the ruling was one of two of the nation’s “greatest tragedies” - the other being the Dred Scott case, which denied a black man’s right to sue for his freedom, precipitating the Civil War.

Lawmakers questioned Bush’s blogging during a Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing last month. Bush said he wouldn’t bring his political views to the bench.

“There are millions of Americans who have a different viewpoint about Roe," he said. "I’m setting that completely aside. If I were to be confirmed, I will faithfully apply the law of Roe vs. Wade and all other precedent following it.”

Bush is President Donald Trump’s second nominee to the appeals court, which handles cases from Kentucky, Tennessee, Ohio and Michigan.

Ryland Barton is the Managing Editor for Collaboratives for Kentucky Public Radio, a group of public radio stations including WKMS, WFPL in Louisville, WEKU in Richmond and WKYU in Bowling Green. A native of Lexington, Ryland most recently served as the Capitol Reporter for Kentucky Public Radio. He has covered politics and state government for NPR member stations KWBU in Waco and KUT in Austin.
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