Justin Walker, the McConnell protege, disclosed in his Senate questionnaire that the White House was eyeing him for a possible vacancy on the powerful D.C. circuit two years before his nomination.
The White House has eyed Justin Walker, an ally and protege of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell , for a seat on the powerful U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit since at least early September 2018, according to new documents provided to the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Walker, then a young lawyer who had been working fervently on behalf of Brett M. Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court nomination, discloses that he was contacted by the White House Counsel’s Office that month to see if he was interested in the vacancy on the D.C. Circuit that would open up once Kavanaugh was confirmed by the Senate.He interviewed with White House lawyers for the job on Sept. 10, 2018, but the position ultimately went to Neomi Rao, then the Trump administration’s regulatory czar.
Since then, Walker has attracted more attention with a fiery opinion issued the day before Easter on April 12 that blocked Louisville’s mayor from trying to prevent drive-in church services as a way to stem the spread of the coronavirus — a decision that drew applause from conservatives.
“That sentence is one that this Court never expected to see outside the pages of a dystopian novel, or perhaps the pages of The Onion,” Walker continued in the April 11 opinion. “But two days ago, citing the need for social distancing during the current pandemic, Louisville’s Mayor Greg Fischer ordered Christians not to attend Sunday services, even if they remained in their cars to worship — and even though it’s Easter.
In a subsequent statement, Fischer expressed disappointment with the decision. He had urged churches not to host in-person or drive-in services Easter weekend but said there was never a “formal ban” on drive-in religious services.
Canada Latest News, Canada Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
White House orders intel agencies to investigate China, World Health OrganizationNEW: White House orders intelligence agencies to investigate China, World Health Organization over early coronavirus response— a sign of Pres. Trump's new hard line on China amid questions about his own response to the pandemic.
Read more »
White House looking at Trump traveling in the near futureWhite House planners have been instructed to look into potential travel for Trump in the near future, sources say
Read more »
White House aims for coronavirus vacccine by end-year under new project: reportThe White House is pulling out the stops to get a coronavirus vaccine to the public by the end of the year, and has set up a project that will combine military, government agencies and drug companies to make that happen, Bloomberg reported, citing sources. "Operation Warp Speed" is aimed at slashing development time for a vaccine to an unprecedented eight months, with 300 million doses ready by January. The project aims to cut development time by fast testing promising experimental vaccines in animals, then switch to coordinated human clinical trials to narrow possible candidates. The White House was due to hold a meeting on the project Wednesday, the report said. Markets have been pinning hopes on Gilead's experimental drug remdesivir, with reports of some success in trials rallying Wall Street stocks Wednesday.
Read more »
Amazon Helps America Reopen With A Huge White House Order Of $13 Million COVID-19 ThermometersAmazon order comes as Trump spends big to get America open again.
Read more »
Media can't fall into 'opposition party' trap in covering Trump, argues White House reporter Jonathan KarlJonathan Karl, chief White House correspondent for ABC News, writes in his new book that President Trump is waging “an assault on truth,” but also details the ways in which the celebrity star turned commander in chief strategically baits the press into personal grudge matches that undercut the credibility
Read more »
White House Coronavirus Task Force, sports leaders discuss how testing expansion could help sports resume'It was helpful to hear about possible conditions and circumstances to be considered when sports resume,' said College Football Playoff executive director Bill Hancock.
Read more »