SHACKELFORD: I Was Interviewed By The ABA For Lawrence VanDyke. Their Letter Does Not Speak For Me.

The American Bar Association (ABA) portrays itself as a neutral assessor of federal judicial nominees. Their recent actions undercut that neutrality and should have us all re-evaluating the special place the ABA holds in the nomination process.

In a recent letter to the United States Senate, the ABA rated Lawrence VanDyke, nominated by President Trump to fill a vacancy on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, as “not qualified.” According to the ABA’s Standing Committee on the Judiciary, “The negative issues discussed in this letter were thoroughly discussed with interviewees and vetted with the nominee. Significantly, the interviewees’ views, negative or positive, appeared strongly held on this nominee.”