Neomi Rao’s established positions will come with her to the bench
Published in The Washington Post
The Post’s March 6 editorial “Partisanship could get even worse” suggested that some senators’ opposition to judicial nominee Neomi Rao based on her past abhorrent writings, including her opinions on date rape, was illegitimate. It stated that further evidence of her unacceptable views would be needed.
This argument mischaracterized the opposition to Ms. Rao, President Trump’s nominee to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, as a complaint about a single op-ed, when, in fact, Ms. Rao wrote many such pieces about sexual assault, women’s equality, people of color and LGBTQ rights. All took positions hostile to the rights of these communities. Ms. Rao’s apology last month focused narrowly on her statements on date rape, omitting the others.