Why does Angus King have just voted for a very anti -abortion judge?

Washington – The Senate Republicans gave President Donald Trump a victory on Tuesday by confirming one of his first judicial nominees, Josh Divine, a Missouri archive. But they had help from an amazing source: Senator Angus King (I-MAINE), who hunted with the Democrats.

Divine, 35, will now have a seat for life in a United States district court in Missouri. He drew a strong opposition from Democrats and civil rights groups for his long litigation history. against the reproductive rights of womenincluding leading a great challenge to the approval of the FDA of Mifepristone, also known as the abortive pill.

In 2010, Divine also argued in favor of bringing literacy tests For vote, a prohibited practice in the 1960s for being racially discriminatory.

It is not clear why King supported him. The independent senator supports the rights of abortion and voting rights, and generally does not reach democratic leadership in judicial nominations. His office declined to comment.

But it seems that Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO.), Who used to be the chief of Divine, simply persuaded King to vote for his former main lawyer, since the vote was underway on the floor of the Senate.

CSPAN footage Show King walking up to Hawley and Have a friendly conversation with him during Divine’s vote in the Senate. And king He told a Law360 reporter On Wednesday, he spoke with Hawley about Divine, and that Missouri senator “convinced me that he would be a capable judge.”

King’s vote has enraged and confused at least some progressive groups.

“Saying that Senator King’s vote on Joshua Divine’s nomination is a shock would be a massive underestimation,” said Maggie Jo Buchanan, interim director of Justice of Demand, in a statement. “Anyone who creates the critical importance of reproductive rights would not vote to put an anti -abortion extremist in a position for life in the Federal Bank. The senator owes its components an explanation, whatever it is.”

What is more strange is that, days ago, king voted against A procedure step to advance the Divine nomination. What could Hawley have said for King to trust a judicial candidate that represents both what King has fought?

AP

Maine’s senator is a proud defender of abortion rights. He Conguarded The decision of the Supreme Court to cancel Roe v. Wade in 2022, and specifically linked it to “the clear conservative campaign of decades to fill the judicial system of our nation with ideologically driven judges that would vote to end access to abortion.”

“While there is no clear or easy path to reverse this decision, I will continue doing everything in my power to protect this fundamental right,” King said at that time.

As Attorney General of Missouri, Divine defended the movement of his state to Block Planned Parenthood of receiving Medicaid refunds and defended the State Extreme requirements To access abortion attention, including that women support mandatory waiting periods, ultrasound and pelvic exams.

King supports LGBTQ rights. Earl this year, he voted against Prohibit the transgender athletes of school sports programs, and previously An original sponsor of the Equality Law, a comprehensive bill to prohibit discrimination against LGBTQ people.

King has also been a vocal critic of Trump’s anarchy, pronouncing passionate speeches on the Senate’s floor over the “unconstitutional and unprecedented overreach” of the administration. “

“This is a constitutional crisis, and we have to respond to it”, begged in February. “We do things constitutionally. Yes, it is more cumbersome, it is slower, that is what the editors intended. They did not intend to have an efficient dictatorship, and that is what we are going.”

Divine, meanwhile, has strongly defended Trump’s actions and power. Last year, without success led a long shot offer Put into control over Trump’s serious sentences in your case of money. More recently, in February, Divine was In social networks Defend the so -called Unitary Executive Theory, which would give Trump even more presidential power.

Kansas City star through Getty Images

It is not clear if King knew something or all this about divine before voting for him. His office did not respond to a request to follow up comments on King’s conversation with Hawley.

A Hawley spokesman also did not respond to a request for comments.

Reproductive freedom for all, a national abortion rights group, did not specifically call King, but condemned Divine’s confirmation.

“Divine’s confirmation makes it clear that Trump lied to voters when he said” would leave it to the United States, “and is actively working to eliminate access to abortion throughout the country,” said Mini Timmaraju, president and CEO of the group, in a statement. “Federal courts are a critical defense line to preserve reproductive health care, and these appointments are a dangerous sign of what will come.”