Brownback May Block Bush’s Nominee For U.S. District Court Judgeship

Test Ticker

Monika Bauerlein,
CEO

Dear Reader,

December is make-or-break for Mother Jones’ fundraising. We have a $350,000 goal that we simply cannot afford to miss. And in "No Cute Headlines or Manipulative BS," we explain, as matter-of-fact as we can, how being a nonprofit means everything to us. Bottom line: Donations big and small make up 74 percent of our budget this year and are urgently needed this month, and all online gifts will be matched and go twice as far until we hit our goal. Please pitch in if you can right now.

December is make-or-break for Mother Jones’ fundraising, and in "No Cute Headlines or Manipulative BS," we hope that giving it to you as matter-of-fact as we can will work to raise the $350,000 we need to raise this month. Donations make up 74 percent of our budget this year, and all online gifts will be matched and go twice as far until we hit our goal.

Get your news from a source that’s not owned and controlled by oligarchs. Sign up for the free Mother Jones Daily.

Judge Janet T. Neff, a member of the Michigan Court of Appeals, is George W. Bush’s nominee for a spot on the U.S. District Court. Neff has a long-time neighbor who is a lesbian, and in 2002, she attended her friend’s commitment ceremony in Massachusetts. According to Sen. Sam Brownback of Kansas, Neff’s attendance gave the appearance that she “betrayed her legal views on gay marriage.”

Apparently, whether Neff favors gay marriage or not, Brownback thinks it would be perfectly fine for her to betray her friendship and hurt her friend’s feelings. Such is the complexity of “family values.”

The senator says he does not believe Neff should automatically be disqualified because she attended the ceremony. “I’m still looking at the Neff situation, and I will in the future,” he said.