Senate confirms abortion opponent as US judge in Louisiana
Posted May 16, 2019 1:18 pm.
WASHINGTON — The Senate has confirmed Louisiana lawyer Wendy Vitter as a federal judge, overcoming opposition from Democrats who criticized her anti-abortion stance and accused her of trying to hide her record on the issue.
Maine Sen. Susan Collins was the only Republican to oppose Vitter’s nomination, which was approved 52-45 on Thursday.
A former prosecutor, Vitter is general counsel for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New Orleans.
Washington Sen. Patty Murray said Vitter failed to disclose hundreds of documents highlighting her opposition to abortion, including a claim at a political rally that Planned Parenthood is responsible for killing 150,000 women a year.
Murray, a Democrat, called the remark careless, reckless and wrong, and said it showed “incredibly poor judgment for somebody who is being considered for a lifetime judicial appointment.”
Matthew Daly, The Associated Press
