Remarks by Trump judicial pick Neomi Rao on date rape, race draw fire

Source: Associated Press

Remarks by Trump judicial pick on date rape, race draw fire

By MATTHEW DALY
February 5, 2019

WASHINGTON (AP) — Liberal activists are targeting President Donald Trump’s nominee to replace Brett Kavanaugh on a high-profile appeals court, citing what they call her extreme views on race, sexual assault and LGBT rights.

Trump nominated Neomi Rao for a seat on the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit left vacant when Kavanaugh joined the Supreme Court. She currently serves as administrator of the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, where she plays key role in Trump’s efforts to roll back federal rules and regulations.

The Senate Judiciary Committee is set to consider Rao’s nomination at a hearing Tuesday.

Rao, 45, worked in the George W. Bush White House but has never tried a case in court.

Critics have seized on her college writings in which she criticized affirmative action, suggested that intoxicated women were partly responsible for date rape and said LGBT rights were part of a “trendy” political movement. The 1995 Yale graduate also faulted environmental groups that “accept issues such as global warming as truth with no reference to the prevailing scientific doubts.”

Dan Goldberg, legal director of the left-leaning Alliance for Justice, called Rao’s writings “deeply troubling,” especially on sexual assault.

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Read more: https://apnews.com/7bf306ace72346c9b054b3b37be176e6