The Senate Committee Judiciary Committee has signed off on President Donald Trump's nominee for a vacant federal judicial post in Amarillo.
On Thursday, the Senate Judiciary Committee voted 11-10 to approve President Trump's nominee, Matthew J. Kacsmaryk to hold a federal post in Amarillo. Kacsmaryk is a Plano attorney at the First Liberty Institue, who Trump nominated to succeed Judge Mary Lou Robinson, a President Jimmy Carter appointee, following her retirement.
Senators voting for Kacsmaryk's nomination were: Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) , John Cornyn (R-Texas) , Mike Lee (R-Utah), Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Ben Sasse (R-Nebraska), Jeff Flake (R-Arizona), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Thom Tillis (R-North Carolina) and John Neely Kennedy (R-Louisiana).
Senators voting against Kacsmaryk's nomination were: Diane Feinstein (D-California), Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont), Richard Durbin (D-Illinois), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-New York), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minnesota), Chris Coons (D-Deleware), Richard Blumenthal (D-Connecticut), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Cory Booker (D-New Jersey) and Kamala Harris (D-California).
The committee approved Kacsmaryk's nomination over the objections of several political groups. Prior to the vote, around 40 groups representation those in the LGBT community signed a letter protesting Kacsmaryk's nomination.
Kacsmaryk's nomination will now advance to the full U.S. Senate.
