As part of his radio tour across America discussing recent judicial appointments by the Biden Administration, TBAF President John Pudner recently stopped in McAllen, Texas to explain the importance of elections not only for state judicial offices, but for federal appointments, how the outcomes from the recent midterm elections will affect these appointments going forward on key issues like crime, and why winning tomorrow's run-off election in Georgia is critical to maintaining law and order across our Republic.
The following transcript from this interview is presented in its entirety with minor edits:
SUMMARY KEYWORDS
Nominees, openings, Joe Biden, Senate, crime, elections, court.
SPEAKERS
John Pudner and Sergio Sanchez.
Sergio Sanchez 00:00
Joining me again on the Sergio Show, John Pudner. He is president of the Take Back Action Fund. I was reflecting yesterday on the show, John, on the new litmus test for judicial appointments up in the Senate. Long gone are the days of Roe v. Wade, and the song and dance, and all the flirting with that, and how coy some of these nominees were when it came to answering, "Is this settled law? Yes or no?" Okay, that's gone. Abortion is gone. Now, the issue is crime, maybe some of these judicial nominees are being soft on crime, also on Second Amendment issues. I was hoping you could reflect on that for me a little bit because, as Barack Obama once said, "elections have consequences", and now the Senate is in control by the Democrats for another 24 months. How much damage might Joe Biden do by putting soft on crime or Second Amendment opponents in judicial appointments all across the nation? How much damage might he do in the next 24 months?
John Pudner 01:02
Well, I think even looking at the hearings going on now that started yesterday, I mean, some of these judges, he's nominated, you know, one of them, I think went beyond kind of anti-Second Amendment. The one criminal they seemed to locate, this Julia Kovik, was a lady who got a stun gun to protect herself from an ex-boyfriend who was violent, and she wanted to throw the book at the lady for that, for defending herself. So, that and some of the other ones, who just had all these early releases went out, one of these guys killed a 10-year-old boy in one case, the other domestic abuse case, just letting people out, letting them out early, etc. I mean, it's a real concern when you see the trend and just the nominees in front of the judiciary committee right now.
Sergio Sanchez 01:51
Some of the conservative write-ups through the years were very complimentary of Mitch McConnell helping President Trump fill as many judicial openings as quickly as possible. Of course, all these other appointments are for courts and other parts of the country all over the place. MIght Joe Biden be able to fill as many empty seats as President Trump did with the help of Mitch McConnell?
John Pudner 02:18
I don't think so in on one term, I'd have to look up the count, but Trump really did appoint quite a few. I mean, he really lucked into just the number of openings, etc. So certainly, he left his mark on courts all over the country. I certainly think even some that maybe a conservative but not as big a fan of President Trump will give him that, say, "My gosh, that's an accomplishment that's going to last for years." So, I don't believe he's going to be on that pace, you just don't have enough openings, but certainly, with the Senate, they're going to try to run them through, unless you get someone who just, you know, a Joe Manchin or a Sinema in Arizona and just say, "Well, this one I just can't back", So, you might occasionally get one, but that's gonna be few and far between.
Sergio Sanchez 03:02
John Pudner from Take Back Action Fund. I mentioned yesterday, it was a Federalist real quick write-up or could have been Daily Wire, they mentioned this judge, Jonathan James Gray, I guess he's one of the ones being considered right now. Republicans were making noise about how he seemed to be soft on crime, that this judge granted bail for an individual charged with embezzling $2 million, and that's not the worst of it, he embezzled millions and also was considered a flight risk by the prosecutor. He also had a record of domestic violence, DWI conviction, using weapons as well, lying, hiding from federal authorities, and Judge Jonathan James Gray gave this dude bail, despite the fact that the prosecutors said, "I know he's gonna run away from the country, run away from us, he's done it before." There's nothing Republicans can do to stop this nominee from becoming a judge, wherever it is that Joe Biden wants to put him, because they just don't have the numbers right now. There's nothing they can do, right?
John Pudner 04:21
That's right, and looks like Eastern Michigan is going to be saddled with him, that's where he's trying to appoint him. And you're right. I mean, obviously, they're states where, in state races, you have elections, and the voters do have an input on crime, which is a big issue there and you can bring it up at the ballot box. I used to run those in Alabama, we've got a big race coming up in Wisconsin, where the Supreme Court will go either completely liberal or completely conservative based on one election in April, but at least there, the people are voting, but it would take so many people being outraged in West Virginia and elsewhere to call, or maybe Arizona, and just hearing that much publicity to...you know, it's not like a Supreme Court justice, where the whole country is focused on it, so, it's very difficult to stop one, unless a Manchin or Sinema decided to team up on one, or the Georgia Senate race goes Republican, and then you just need Manchin.
Sergio Sanchez 05:15
Yeah, that would be the only weak point you could focus on. But, yeah, it's not the highest court, but this is the bullpen for the highest court. You got somebody sitting on a federal bench out there that might be considered for the high court, and with his record, that's not good. All right, John, appreciate your time today.
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