Alison Nathan, Openly Gay Federal Judge Nominee, Confirmed By Senate

WASHINGTON — Without Republican support, the Senate on Thursday narrowly confirmed an openly gay woman to become a federal judge in New York.

The 48-44 party-line vote made Alison Nathan, who has served as an adviser to President Barack Obama, the third openly gay person confirmed to the federal bench. Nathan, 39, will serve on the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.

Republicans said they opposed Nathan's confirmation because she indicated in a book that judges should consider foreign law in rulings on human rights law.

"Suffice it to say, I believe her record evidences an activist viewpoint," said Sen. Jeff Sessions of Alabama, the senior Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Democrats praised Nathan's work in the gay community. During the 2008 presidential campaign, she was a senior adviser to Obama. The next year, she was appointed an associate White House counsel, advising the president on judicial and legal affairs.

Nathan now serves as special counsel to the solicitor general of New York. She graduated from Cornell University and received her law degree there. She was editor-in-chief of the law review.

Comments

[rockysparks]

10:16 AM on 10/15/2011

..."Suffice it to say, I believe her record evidences an activist viewpoint," said Sen. Jeff Sessions of Alabama, the senior Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee ...

In 1986, Reagan nominated Sessions to be a judge of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Alabama. Sessions was actively backed by Alabama Senator Jeremiah Denton, a Republican. A substantial majority of the American Bar Association Standing Committee on the Federal Judiciary, which rates nominees to the federal bench, rated Sessions "qualified," with a minority voting that Sessions was "not qualified."

At Sessions' confirmation hearings before the Senate Judiciary Committee, four Department of Justice lawyers who had worked with Sessions testified that he had made several racist statements. One of those lawyers, J. Gerald Hebert, testified that Sessions had referred to the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) as "un-American" and "Communist-inspired" because they "forced civil rights down the throats of people."

To make a long story short, Sessions didn't get the nomination and is a very bitter, vindictive man. He uses every opportunity he gets to oppose nominees whose political beliefs disagree with his own and does not attend these hearings with an open mind.

He's opposed nominees perceived as liberal and progressive and of course, his head probably exploded when this gay judicial nominee's name came up. He's a professional hater and misuses his authority at every chance he gets.

[castleblanca]

02:12 PM on 10/14/2011

Once again, Sen. Jeff Sessions puts himself at the forefront for moral and legal authority.

One should remember that Sessions is the man who once said, “I thought the Klu Klux Klan was a pretty good group of guys until I heard they smoked pot.”

[middwestreader]

01:59 PM on 10/14/2011

Jefferson Beauregard Sessions III would be a federal judge himself today, except that he was rejected for his racist views by the Senate Judiciary Committee in 1986.

[Mistinguette Grandison]

01:53 PM on 10/14/2011

I think you underestimate the fact that he was three votes short of passing something without a filibuster from Republicans, even if it is a majority. FDR had 96 Democrats and even his signature piece of legislation, SS, was compromised to the bone at first. The original idea for Medicare was to cover everyone instead of 65 and over. Obama has only had 57 (consider Ted Kennedy's death in 2009, and Al Franken still waiting confirmation). not that people shouldn't push, but just because someone didn't get 100% of what they promised when they campaigned that doesn't mean they failed, especially when's barely finishing a term. We actually got health care reform, something Democrats and Progressives pushed for years, and it will be improve over like SS. He's so far been the strongest president on LGBT rights issues (repealing DADT, hate crime laws, hiv travel ban, benefits to same sex couples, etc.), and more is still ahead if we let him do so. This is what is mean by unrealistic expectations: We expect everything right then and right now, and to always like everything he does, and if we don't we throw up our hands and give up. Change oftentimes happens in increments that add up to something good rather than one giant swoop of a revolution. We have to learn to think long term. Progress is the word. Keep pushing rather than sit back and whine. We will work counter to our interests.

[Sociologyst]

01:48 PM on 10/14/2011

Very cool :)

[FormerlyTCnSRQ]

01:33 PM on 10/14/2011

once again a strict party line of bigotry from the Senate Republicans.

[Ioan Lightoller]

09:14 AM on 10/14/2011

Congrats, Allison Nathan.

[Vampy1]

08:58 AM on 10/14/2011

so HER name is NATHAN and she's gay? interesting coincidence. oh well who cares, also what does being gay have to do with this article? or being a judge for that matter

[Ioan Lightoller]

09:38 AM on 10/14/2011

Instead of being a coward, like so many righties, come out and state your concerns. If none of this actually triggers your "Hey! I care about this!" button, why waste your time posting?

[Vampy1]

08:44 PM on 10/14/2011

i'm just trying to figure out why this is news worthy.

[Sociologyst]

01:48 PM on 10/14/2011

Wow, you thought of that all on your own... you are definitely a critical thinker, aren't cha? /snark.

[countdown69]

08:44 AM on 10/14/2011

It's about time a bill passed without the need of the obstructionist party. Suck it republicans. Gays and lesbians are alive and well and deserve the same rights and jobs as everyone else in this great country of ours! Way to go Dems!

[Bpers2001]

07:26 AM on 10/14/2011

This is terrific news. She'll make an excellent Federal Judge. Congrats Alison Nathan!

[Donns]

06:59 AM on 10/14/2011

If she is qualified then she should get the position. Way too many judges are appointed on the basis of their politics and baisis, rather than their knowledge of the law and our constitution. (SCOTUS judge Thomas is a good example). If this appointment bites the God sellers and phony conservatives then it must be a good move.

[webber73]

05:48 AM on 10/14/2011

Quoting Jeff Session as being against the nominee is enough for me to support Alison Nathan to the bench. Enough said!

[Chris Burgess]

05:10 AM on 10/14/2011

Awesome news!

[betrue2]

01:24 AM on 10/14/2011

great news.

[jedwightn]

12:46 AM on 10/14/2011

Who cares about her preference as long as she can adjudicate fairly?

[pearlheartgtr]

02:30 AM on 10/14/2011

Apparantly, the republicans do.

[Valksy]

04:36 AM on 10/14/2011

Orientation, not preference. And if she was not open and authentic, people would try to use it against her. Controlling the message is very important.