Washington D.C., Mar 14, 2019 / 10:30 am
The Senate voted confirm Neomi Rao to the District of Columbia Circuit Court of Appeals on Wednesday, with a 53-46 party-line vote. All Senate Republicans voted in favor of Rao's confirmation, and no Democrats voted for her.
Rao will fill the vacancy created when President Donald Trump nominated Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court. She previously served as the administrator of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, and also taught law at George Mason University's Scalia School of Law. She worked in the White House counsel's office under President George W. Bush, as well as on the staff of the Senate Judiciary Committee.
During her confirmation process, Rao came under close scrutiny for her opinions on a range of issues.
Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ), who is now running for president, questioned Rao about morality during her confirmation hearings. Booker asked Rao if she believed that marriage was between a man and a woman, and if she thought that two people of the same-sex in a relationship was "immoral." He explained it would be akin to her thinking that two African-Americans in a relationship would be immoral.