Yesterday, Senate Republicans voted to allow a confirmation vote on Howard Nielson, Trump’s 51-year-old judicial nominee for a lifetime seat on the U.S. District Court of Utah. Nielson supports torture and opposes abortion and firearm regulation and he’s also queerphobic AF.
He’s so anti-LGBTQ that 15 national, state and local LGBT organizations — including Lambda Legal, The Community of LGBT Centers and the National Centers for Transgender Equality and Lesbian Rights — sent a letter to the Senate asking the Republican-led chamber not to approve him.
The Republicans there will probably approve him — because that’s how they roll — but let’s cover his extensive anti-LGBTQ record anyway.
In 2009, Nielson filed a motion saying that out gay Judge Vaughn Walker couldn’t be trusted to issue an impartial ruling on Proposition 8, the 2008 Californian ballot measure outlawing same-sex unions. This isn’t so different from when Trump said that Mexican judges can’t be impartial against him because of his racist comments about Mexicans — it’s bigoted.
How about we take this to the next level?
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In his other comments against same-sex marriage, Nielson has said that same-sex families are “inferior to heterosexual families” and that there’s no way to tell between queer people and people who are just “confused or maladjusted.” He also “argued that sexual orientation is a choice and disputed the evidence that discrimination against LGBTQ people leads to higher rates of depression and suicide,” according to The Huffington Post.
In 2005, while serving as a legal counsel for the U.S. Justice Department under rabidly anti-gay Republican President George W. Bush, Nielson wrote a memo supporting the use of so-called “enhanced interrogation techniques” (or as everyone else likes to call it, “torture.”) He basically argued that the Geneva Conventions allow U.S. personnel to torture civilians outside of the U.S.
In 2016, Nielson authored two Supreme Court amicus briefs: The first argued that the the U.S. government wasn’t legally allowed to help Americans afford healthcare under the Affordable Care Act (a key tenet of Obamacare), and the second supported an unconstitutional Texas law that would’ve made abortions virtually inaccessible throughout the state.
Nielson has also represented the National Rifle Association (NRA) in three different cases. Each time, he argued that any bans on semiautomatic rifles and large capacity magazines, people under the age of 21 buying or publicly carrying firearms were unconstitutional.
In its open letter opposing Nielson’s confirmation, Lambda Legal wrote:
There are over 70,000 LGBT people who live in the state of Utah. Salt Lake City has the seventh highest percentage of adult LGBT people in the country — even larger than New York City. It is critical that members of this vulnerable minority, like everyone else, have access to equal justice under the law when they enter the courtroom. Unfortunately, Mr. Nielson’s long record of working to undermine protections for LGBT people … demonstrates that he will not be able to impartially administer equal justice.
Over 50 Democratic Congressmen also recently sent a letter to U.S. Senators asking them not to approve Nielson for his regressive views.
RIGay
It’s not Trump, it’s PENCE who is placing these names before the moron. If the idiot were to be picking nominees, you would see, like, the wait staff or the caddy at Mar a Lago being interviewed.
UlfRaynor
It is Trump, he picked Pence and he signs off on this stuff.
NateB79
Trump’s picks are from a list from Bannon and the Federalist Society. He has 0 clue who these people are.
IWantAFullBeard
Say whatever you want about LGBT people, but anyone who believes in the Book of Mormon is maladjusted to basic principles of logic and common sense.
Cam
Republicans want bigots to be appointed judges. Is anybody stunned?
Mick406
When seeing all the things that good ole “Howie” is FOR, it became apparent to me that he is certainly a candidate with his head screwed on straight. The only thing I disagree with him on is that being gay is a choice. I have never believed that from the day I first found out what I was leaning toward. I didn’t chose it. My hormones and natural desires gave me the direction.
There is something wrong with this country when “15 national, state and local LGBT organizations — including Lambda Legal, The Community of LGBT Centers and the National Centers for Transgender Equality and Lesbian Rights”, as pointed out in the story are fighting this nominee. Why so many groups just looking for ways to pick a fight?
“under rabidly anti-gay Republican President George W. Bush” Not only was that statement malicious, it is patently FALSE! I’ve never seen our President do anything against all the gays except when involved in the policies of the military. Queerty keeps advancing the lies.
I’ll wrap this up by looking through the eyes of this candidate. There is nothing more repulsive, or bewildering than seeing a bunch of queers parading down a street in those nasty shorts and clothing that depicts nothing but public debauchery. Those kinds of queers are so over the top they wouldn’t even fit in at Caligula’s court. We’ve got a lot of trouble making “Alphabet Identified” strange-ass people out there who will never be appeased and they are a downright embarrassment!
Cam
So you’ve come on here to defend a bigot and to attack LGBT people and organizations.
DavidIntl
I too was struck by that “rabidly anti-gay” comment about George Bush. I wouldn’t say he was a huge ally, but as Republicans go, I always had the impression he was pretty neutral on LGBT issues. I seem to recall him attending a same-sex wedding before they were recognized nationally.
paul dorian lord fredine
please, no matter how tempting, do not feed troll mick406. yeah, ‘it’s’ disgusting, his words are vie and one wonders why he’s here, except to spread his crap. qweerty, where are you? ‘it’ should be banned/blocked/deleted PERMANENTLY!! trying to maintain an inclusive forum that expresses multiple viewpoints can only go so far. show this prick the door.
Mick406
I’m not a troll . . . I’m a realist. You can be gay but you don’t have to smash it into other people’s faces. That’s what pisses me off about all the Alphabet People. They constantly stir the kettle and raise hell at anybody who doesn’t bow down to their wants. I’ve never been discriminated against, but I also have lead a 72 year life of treating my neighbor as myself. I don’t go in for public displays and vulgarity.
Cam
@Mick406
And by “Smashing it into people’s faces” you mean existing.
yoshimura8869
BTW, Mick406, it’s not only gay people “parading down a street” in “nasty shorts and clothing”. Have you never been to the New Orleans Mardi Gras? It’s mostly STRAIGHT people “parading down a street” in “nasty shorts and clothing”! Why are you NOT upset at them? Or has your internalized homophobia stopped short at criticizing straight people having “public displays and vulgarity”? People will do what people will do in a festive atmosphere to gain the most attention. Even the most outrageous things. Just avert your ancient puritanical gaze. No one is forcing you to watch them. As an 18 year old, I appreciate a good laugh once in a while unlike dour old folks like you.