The Senate confirmed Judge David Hamilton to the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals 59-39 Thursday after breaking a GOP filibuster Tuesday and a five-and-a-half month delay. Sen. Richard Lugar (R-Ind.), who represents Hamilton's home state of Indiana, casted the lone Republican vote for the judge.
"This is a nomination that should be confirmed and should have been confirmed months ago," said Senate Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) in a statement. "David Hamilton is a fine judge and will make a good addition to the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit."
Hamilton, who was President Barack Obama's first judicial nominee, came under Republican fire for several rulings he made in Indiana, from barring certain prayers in the state legislature to a ruling stating that abortion clinics should not be required to provide information on alternatives to abortion.
Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.), the ranking Republican on the Judiciary Committee, said Monday he sought to block Hamilton's nomination because he believed the judge was extreme and would add "footnotes to the Constitution."
Lugar, however, refuted GOP sentiment in a floor statement Monday on Hamilton's behalf, saying that the judge appreciated "the vital, and yet vitally limited, role of the federal judiciary faithfully to interpret and apply our laws, rather than seeking to impose their own policy views."