Kentucky’s Governor, Democrat Andy Beshear’s office, turned over an email showing that President Biden planned to nominate Stephen Chad Meredith, an anti-abortion judge to the bench, ‘To be nominated tomorrow: … Stephen Chad Meredith: candidate for the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky.’
According to the Courier-Journal, the announcement was scheduled to take place on June 24, when the Supreme Court announced it was overturning Roe V Wade. Subsequently, the announcement was never made. The governor’s office also turned over a follow-up email from a White House official sent on June 29 saying that the original email was “pre-decisional and privileged information.”
White House aide Kathleen M. Marshall, a White House senior adviser to governors and former Nevada lieutenant governor, sent the June 23 email stating that Meredith was to be nominated.
Pro-Abortion groups were angered by the potential nomination of an anti-abortion judge and spoke out in a joint statement.
The groups included were Planned Parenthood Federation Of America, NARAL Pro-Choice America, National Women’s Law Center, National Council Of Jewish Women, All* Above All Action Fund, URGE, Catholics for Choice, and Physicians for Reproductive Health.
“We are in a national abortion crisis,” and “We are in this moment because anti-abortion judges were intentionally nominated at every level to take away our fundamental right to abortion — and given his record, we know Chad Meredith would be no exception.”
“Chad Meredith should not be nominated to a lifetime judgeship. This is unacceptable at any time, but especially on the heels of six Supreme Court justices taking away a fundamental right from millions of people.
U.S. Rep. John Yarmuth, D-Louisville, was told the White House intended to nominate Meredith, but never put forth the nomination. He strongly disagreed with the nomination.
The White House has declined to comment on Meredith’s potential nomination.
“We make it a point here to not comment on any vacancy, whether it is on the executive branch or the judicial branch, especially those that the nomination has not been made yet,” said White House Press Secretary Jean-Pierre.
Yarmuth told The Courier-Journal he believed Biden and McConnell had made an agreement where Biden would appoint Meredith, and McConnell would not hold up future White House nominations. Neither McConnell nor Meredith have commented.
