SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
FEC commissioner Matthew Spencer Petersen was unable to define basic legal terms and procedures and admitted he had never tried a civil or criminal case, in his confirmation hearing for a U.S. District Court appointment. (Photo: @TheAlt_Media/Twitter)
'Hoo-Boy': Trump's Judicial Nominee Shows No Knowledge of Basic Legal Terms in Hearing
Trump's latest judicial pick further demonstrates the administration's focus on quantity—and cronyism—over the quality of nominees
Dec 15, 2017
The testimony of one of President Donald Trump's latest judicial nominees went viral Thursday after the potential future U.S. District Court judge was shown to have no knowledge of basic legal terms and little experience in law.
Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) asked Federal Election Commissioner Matthew Spencer Petersen if he had ever tried a criminal or civil case or a case in a state or federal court, finally questioning whether he had even taken a deposition without supervision from a more senior attorney--the answers to all of which were "no."
Petersen also appeared to be unfamiliar with legal rules dictating court procedures and several examples of legal terminology.
Watch:
Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) posted about Petersen's testimony on Twitter, expressing shock at his flimsy qualifications for an appointment as a federal judge.
But Petersen is only the latest of Trump's judicial nominees to draw attention for their lack of eligibility. Earlier this week, Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) urged the Trump administration to withdraw its nominations of Brett Talley and Jeff Mateer, nominated to district courts in Alabama and Texas, respectively.
Talley has been found to have limited legal experience and failed to disclose that he is married to a White House Counsel lawyer, creating a serious conflict of interest should he be nominated, while Mateer has expressed homophobic and transphobic views and has supported LGBTQ "conversion therapy."
As Axios reported, Trump has set a record for the most circuit court judges confirmed in his first year in office, with 12 confirmations--but on social media, critics suggested the president is placing quantity--and cronyism--over quality in his nominating process. Petersen served on the FEC alongside White House Counsel Don McGahn, who now oversees the president's judicial nominations.
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
The testimony of one of President Donald Trump's latest judicial nominees went viral Thursday after the potential future U.S. District Court judge was shown to have no knowledge of basic legal terms and little experience in law.
Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) asked Federal Election Commissioner Matthew Spencer Petersen if he had ever tried a criminal or civil case or a case in a state or federal court, finally questioning whether he had even taken a deposition without supervision from a more senior attorney--the answers to all of which were "no."
Petersen also appeared to be unfamiliar with legal rules dictating court procedures and several examples of legal terminology.
Watch:
Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) posted about Petersen's testimony on Twitter, expressing shock at his flimsy qualifications for an appointment as a federal judge.
But Petersen is only the latest of Trump's judicial nominees to draw attention for their lack of eligibility. Earlier this week, Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) urged the Trump administration to withdraw its nominations of Brett Talley and Jeff Mateer, nominated to district courts in Alabama and Texas, respectively.
Talley has been found to have limited legal experience and failed to disclose that he is married to a White House Counsel lawyer, creating a serious conflict of interest should he be nominated, while Mateer has expressed homophobic and transphobic views and has supported LGBTQ "conversion therapy."
As Axios reported, Trump has set a record for the most circuit court judges confirmed in his first year in office, with 12 confirmations--but on social media, critics suggested the president is placing quantity--and cronyism--over quality in his nominating process. Petersen served on the FEC alongside White House Counsel Don McGahn, who now oversees the president's judicial nominations.
The testimony of one of President Donald Trump's latest judicial nominees went viral Thursday after the potential future U.S. District Court judge was shown to have no knowledge of basic legal terms and little experience in law.
Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) asked Federal Election Commissioner Matthew Spencer Petersen if he had ever tried a criminal or civil case or a case in a state or federal court, finally questioning whether he had even taken a deposition without supervision from a more senior attorney--the answers to all of which were "no."
Petersen also appeared to be unfamiliar with legal rules dictating court procedures and several examples of legal terminology.
Watch:
Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) posted about Petersen's testimony on Twitter, expressing shock at his flimsy qualifications for an appointment as a federal judge.
But Petersen is only the latest of Trump's judicial nominees to draw attention for their lack of eligibility. Earlier this week, Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) urged the Trump administration to withdraw its nominations of Brett Talley and Jeff Mateer, nominated to district courts in Alabama and Texas, respectively.
Talley has been found to have limited legal experience and failed to disclose that he is married to a White House Counsel lawyer, creating a serious conflict of interest should he be nominated, while Mateer has expressed homophobic and transphobic views and has supported LGBTQ "conversion therapy."
As Axios reported, Trump has set a record for the most circuit court judges confirmed in his first year in office, with 12 confirmations--but on social media, critics suggested the president is placing quantity--and cronyism--over quality in his nominating process. Petersen served on the FEC alongside White House Counsel Don McGahn, who now oversees the president's judicial nominations.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.