By a 59-39 vote, the U.S. Senate confirmed David Hamilton to sit on the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals. President Obama nominated him in March, but Hamilton's extreme views delayed the confirmation.
Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., expressed his concerns on the floor of the Senate.
"Mr. Hamilton was a board member and vice president of the ACLU chapter of Indiana," he said.
Sessions was also troubled over Hamilton's ruling that the Indiana Legislature could not open its sessions with prayer.
"Many of the prayers expressed mentioned 'Jesus Christ,'" Sessions said. "Yet in a post-judgment motion, Judge Hamilton permitted the use of 'Allah.'"
Hamilton also struck down a sex-offender registry, saying it violated the offenders' right to privacy.
Tom Fitten, president of Judicial Watch, said this could lead the administration to bring more extreme nominees.
"If they think they can push judges like this through with little or no debate," he said, "they're going to have the incentive to push hard on this."
— Roger Greer
