White House told to withdraw Boggs’ nomination
The chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee on Monday urged the White House to withdraw its controversial nomination of Georgia Court of Appeals Judge Michael Boggs to sit on the federal bench in Atlanta.
Boggs does not have the votes on the Judiciary Committee, whose approval is needed for the nomination to receive a confirmation vote on the Senate floor, Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., said.
“His nomination should be withdrawn,” Leahy said.
Boggs’ nomination has been assailed by liberal groups because of his record as a conservative Democratic state representative in Waycross in the early 2000s. His vote to retain the Confederate battle emblem on the state flag and his positions against gay marriage and abortion brought strong opposition by numerous organizations that typically support President Barack Obama’s judicial nominees.
Leahy’s take on Boggs’ fate, first reported by the New York Times, did not deter the White House from continuing to stand behind the nominee.
“The president believes that Judge Boggs has the necessary qualifications to serve in this role,” White House press spokesman Josh Earnest said during his daily briefing. “That’s why the president nominated him.”
Boggs was one of four Obama nominees for a seat on the U.S. District Court bench in Atlanta. The others — DeKalb County State Court Judge Eleanor Ross and Atlanta attorneys Mark Cohen and Leigh Martin May — have already cleared the Judiciary Committee and await confirmation votes.
Majority Leader Harry Reid recently set a vote in the Senate on May’s nomination for Nov. 13.
About the Author
Bill Rankin has been an AJC reporter for more than 30 years. His father, Jim Rankin, worked as an editor for the newspaper for 26 years, retiring in 1986. Bill has primarily covered the state’s court system, doing all he can do to keep the scales of justice on an even keel. Since 2015, he has been the host of the newspaper’s Breakdown podcast.
