Rep. John Lewis has an issue with President Barack Obama’s choice to nominate a federal judge that has a history of bigoted ideologies.
President Obama nominated Michael Boggs to the federal bench, a lifetime post. Boggs is a conservative Democrat who voted to keep the Confederate emblem on Georgia’s state flag, a polarizing symbol of the state’s racist past. Boggs also voted to ban same-sex marriage and voted for restrictions on abortion. Lewis condemned President Obama and Boggs.
“I did not at any time indicate my support for the Boggs’ nomination or say that he had the backing of the African-American community in Georgia. Based on the evidence revealed during this hearing, I do not support the confirmation of Michael Boggs to the federal bench. His record is in direct opposition to everything I have stood for during my career, and his misrepresentation of that record to the committee is even more troubling. The testimony suggests Boggs may allow his personal political leanings to influence his impartiality on the bench. I do not have a vote in the Senate, but if I did, I would vote against the confirmation of Michael Boggs,” Lewis said in statement.
Along with Lewis, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid also spoke out against the nomination. However, Lewis faced critics, such as Georgia Democrat David Scott, who claimed that Lewis betrayed African Americans and gays.
President Obama has yet to respond to Lewis’ opposition to Boggs.
