Senate Confirms Religious Liberty Expert For Seat On 5th Circuit

The U.S. Senate yesterday by a vote of 50- 47, confirmed Stuart Kyle Duncan, of Louisiana, to be United States Circuit Judge for the Fifth Circuit. (Senate vote details).  Duncan has an extensive record of research and litigation on church-state and religious liberty issues. (See prior posting.)  In a press release from Becket, where Duncan served as general counsel for two years, the advocacy group's current president said in part:

At Becket, Kyle was a steadfast defender of religious liberty for people of all faiths and was known for his intelligence and evenhandedness. His generosity and respect for others has made him a great advocate, and will make him a fair and respected judge.

UPDATE: In a statement issued April 24, the Human Rights Campaign took a different view of Duncan's record, calling him an "extremist, anti-LGBTQ nominee."