JURIST - Paper Chase: Bush circuit court nominee rated 'unqualified' by ABA

[JURIST] A committee of the American Bar Association [group website] has voted unanimously that judicial nominee Michael B. Wallace [official profile] is "not qualified" [ratings, PDF] to sit on the US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit [official website]. Wallace, a Mississippi lawyer and former aide to US Sen. Trent Lott (R-MS) [official website], has garnered criticism from Democrats and the NAACP [advocacy website] among others for working to secure tax exemptions for the then-segregated Bob Jones University and also working with Lott to require that plaintiffs in voting rights cases prove an intent to discriminate, rather than simply the effects of discrimination. Wallace is the first appeals court candidate in 24 years to receive a unanimous "not qualified" rating from the ABA.

On Tuesday the ABA lowered its rating [JURIST report] of White House aide and nominee to the US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit Brett Kavanaugh [White House backgrounder] from "well qualified" to "qualified" [ratings, PDF] based on more recent interviews with judges and lawyers and questions about his courtroom performance. The New York Times has more.

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