[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 115 (Tuesday, June 23, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3154-S3155]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      NOMINATION OF CORY T. WILSON

  Mrs. FEINSTEIN. Mr. President, I rise today in opposition to the 
nomination of Cory Wilson to a Mississippi seat on the Fifth Circuit. 
Judge Wilson has a troubling record on a number of critically important 
issues. That record makes clear Judge Wilson is far outside of the 
judicial mainstream. I believe that record is and should be 
disqualifying.
  First, Judge Wilson has a long record of working to undermine voting 
rights. He has been a longtime proponent of voter ID laws--which 
disproportionately harm communities of color, students, voters with 
disabilities, and the elderly--and has made false claims about the 
prevalence of voter fraud.
  He has likewise expressed opposition to enforcement of the Voting 
Rights Act and has made unsubstantiated claims that voter suppression 
is nonexistent. As I have noted before, Judge Wilson's troubling record 
on voting

[[Page S3155]]

rights is highly relevant to his nomination. The Fifth Circuit is a 
majority-minority circuit; 55 percent of those who live in the circuit 
are people of color. The Senate should not confirm a nominee who would 
work to further restrict the right to vote from the bench.
  Second, Judge Wilson has been a staunch opponent of the Affordable 
Care Act. He referred to the ACA's passage as ``perverse'' and 
``illegitimate.'' He called upon the Supreme Court to strike down the 
law, writing: ``For the sake of the Constitution, I hope the Court 
strikes down the law and reinvigorates some semblance of the limited 
government the Founders intended.''
  As of June 22, more than 120,000 Americans have died from COVID-19, 
and nearly 2.3 million have been infected. Now is not the time to 
advance a judicial nominee whose opposition to the ACA would strip tens 
of millions of Americans of healthcare, including those with 
preexisting conditions.
  Third, Judge Wilson has made extreme partisan comments that call into 
question his ability to rule fairly and impartially. In op-eds in a 
Mississippi newspaper, he likened President Obama to ``a fit-throwing 
teenager'' and called him ``King Barack'' and ``President Make-
Believe.'' In tweets that he has kept public even while serving as a 
State court judge, Judge Wilson called Hillary Clinton ``Crooked 
Clinton'' and said she was ``criminal and clueless.'' He also called 
Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez a ``claptrap.'' The Senate 
should not confirm a nominee who cannot be trusted to put aside extreme 
partisanship to rule in an unbiased and impartial manner.
  Fourth, Judge Wilson has sought to undermine the rights of LGBT 
Americans. In 2016, while serving in the Mississippi legislature, Judge 
Wilson supported HB 1523, a bill providing legal cover for businesses 
to deny services to individuals on the basis of their sexual 
orientation. In a 2012 op-ed, Judge Wilson argued that ``gay marriage 
is a pander to liberal interest groups and an attempt to cast 
Republicans as intolerant, uncaring and even bigoted.'' Judge Wilson's 
past support for anti-LGBT legislation and his comments demeaning the 
fight for marriage equality raise questions about his ability to rule 
objectively on any case implicating LGBT rights.
  Finally, Judge Wilson has been an ardent opponent of women's 
reproductive rights, making it abundantly clear that he supports ``the 
complete and immediate reversal of the Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton 
decisions.''
  Judge Wilson will be the 200th Article III judge appointed by this 
President and confirmed by this Senate. Unfortunately, Judge Wilson's 
record of hostility to voting rights, the ACA, the rights of LGBT 
Americans, and women's reproductive rights is not unique to him. In 
fact, it is clear that so many of this administration's judicial 
nominees have been selected precisely because of those viewpoints. This 
is not something to celebrate. After all, those who have gained 
healthcare because of the ACA deserve the security of knowing their 
coverage is not at risk from the Federal judiciary.
  And those who seek to vindicate their rights--to vote, to make their 
own reproductive healthcare decisions, and to be free from 
discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity--
deserve a judiciary that will rule fairly and impartially.
  I will vote against Judge Wilson's nomination, and I urge my 
colleagues to do the same. Thank you.

                          ____________________