Grasz Confirmation Further Lowers the Bar

Washington, D.C., December 11, 2017 – Following the Senate’s vote today to confirm Leonard Steven Grasz to a seat on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit, AFJ President Nan Aron released the following statement:

“Today the Senate’s standards for confirmation of a federal appellate judge sank even lower with the confirmation of a nominee, Steve Grasz, whose overt biases and unprofessional demeanor earned him a unanimous rating of Not Qualified from the American Bar Association. Not since 2006 has a federal appellate court nominee unanimously rated unqualified by the ABA even gotten a hearing, much less a confirmation. Grasz’s unfitness for the bench goes beyond his failure to meet the threshold set by the ABA: his record amply demonstrates that he is deeply hostile to the rights of others, most notably women and LGBTQ individuals, and raises questions about whether he would properly uphold Supreme Court precedent on the bench. Sadly, people living and working within the Eighth Circuit will have to pay the price for this mindless rubber-stamping of another Trump nominee.”