Senator Collins has helped Mitch McConnell and Donald Trump transform the federal judiciary by packing it with right wing judges who put Mainers at risk. This week, Maine Democrats will highlight a few of the extreme right wing nominees whom Collins helped confirm to the federal bench.
In 2017, Senator Susan Collins brushed aside Don Willett’s extensive history of extreme right-wing views and cast a deciding vote to confirm him to the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.
When Willett was nominated, Planned Parenthood, cited his “strong opposition to a woman’s right to safe, legal abortion and workplace equality” in opposing his confirmation. Similarly disturbing was his record on LGBTQ+ equality. As a Texas Supreme Court Justice, Willett issued a ruling that said “it’s not clear what rights were extended to gay couples after same-sex marriage was legalized in 2015” and he had drawn criticism for ridiculing a transgender student and even comparing same sex marriage to marrying bacon.
Despite these concerns, Collins cast the deciding vote to give Willett a lifetime appointment to the federal bench, continuing her record of voting for every single one of the judicial nominees in Trump’s first two years in office. In the last four years, Collins has helped confirm 181 of Trump’s judges, and has never cast a deciding vote against one of his judicial nominees.
“Senator Collins’ deciding vote to confirm Don Willett shows that she will always deliver for Donald Trump and Mitch McConnell,” said Maine Democratic Party Chair Kathleen Marra. “She’s been a key vote for Trump and McConnell’s crusade to reshape the judiciary with extreme nominees, and has helped confirm dozens of nominees who pose a direct threat to the rights of her constituents. Mainers need a Senator who fights for us, not Trump and McConnell’s right-wing agenda.”
###