A federal judge is calling for a probe to look into whether Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) pressured Judge Thomas Griffith to leave the bench, so he could create a vacancy on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit for Judge Justin Walker, one of the youngest federal judges in the country.
In a statement, Demand Justice requested that Walker’s confirmation hearing, which is scheduled for Wednesday, not go forward “until we know the truth about what ethical lines Mitch McConnell crossed to get Walker this seat.”
“McConnell should come clean about whether and when he contacted Judge Thomas Griffith prior to his sudden retirement,” the group said.
Srinivasan on Friday called for Roberts to transfer the case to a different circuit to, stating that there could be a conflict of interest if the D.C. Circuit Court were to investigate the complaint.
The confirmation of President Donald Trump’s nominee on the federal bench last October was met with criticism after Walker at the time drew a “Not Qualified” rating from the American Bar Association (ABA). Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) slammed Walker’s qualifications last fall, as Walker faced Senate confirmation as a Kentucky-based federal judge.
“The rumor is he wants to put a judge on the calendar whose claim to fame seems to be that he worked for [McConnell] as a staffer. ... The ABA rated him unqualified,“ Schumer told ”Morning Joe” in an interview Monday.
However, on Tuesday the ABA gave the 38-year-old a “Well Qualified” rating.
“The Standing Committee concluded that Judge Walker’s varied accomplishments as a law clerk, law professor, and now as a district judge offset concerns about his years of practicing law,” Hubbard added.
Walker, a graduate of Duke University and Harvard Law School, was confirmed as a judge last year. He previously was a lawyer in Louisville and Washington and served as a law clerk to then-Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy. He earlier clerked for Brett Kavanaugh, then a judge of the same appeals court where Walker is being nominated to serve.
“My decision was driven entirely by personal concerns and involved no discussions with the White House or the Senate,“ he said, adding that his wife was diagnosed with a ”debilitating chronic illness” 11 years ago.