Two weeks after President Joe Biden’s nominee for a prized federal judgeship appeared before the Senate Judiciary Committee, a majority of Democrats on that panel have yet to commit to supporting his nomination.
The White House is standing by its nominee, raising the possibility that Biden will face his first public judicial setback at the hands of his own party.
Former New Hampshire Attorney General Michael Delaney, Biden’s nominee for the 1st US Circuit Court of Appeals, is facing serious questions about his handling of a 2016 civil suit related to the sexual assault of a minor.
Representing the boarding school where the assault took place, Delaney argued that the victim should only remain anonymous if certain conditions were met. In the event the case went to trial, Delaney argued she should be stripped of her anonymity entirely, which the victim’s family believes was intended to have a chilling effect.
Delaney has defended his approach to the case, arguing it was in line with how another court handled a similar dispute and promising that, if confirmed, he would follow newer precedent from the 1st Circuit concerning anonymity in sexual assault cases. After Delaney’s filing, the victim, Chessy Prout, decided to identify herself publicly; her family withdrew their motion for anonymity and the case was ultimately settled with a confidential agreement.
Prout said she was inspired to seek justice at the time by the “It’s On Us” sexual assault prevention campaign Biden had led as vice president.
“And now, to have the very person who inspired me to seek justice nominate the attorney who tried to tamper and take away my right to anonymity in my search for justice is just astounding,” Prout told CNN in an interview. “And really disappointing.”
The current uncertainty around Delaney’s nomination comes after…
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