An article from the Associated Press is headlined “Biden nominates first LGBT federal appeals court nominee,” a claim that was further elevated by news outlets that reprinted the AP article, including the Washington Post, ABC News, and U.S. News & World Report. The Washington Post later deleted its story.
The article is about Justice Beth Robinson, an associate justice on the Vermont Supreme Court, whom Biden has nominated to serve on the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals. The AP article correctly notes that Robinson would “become the first openly LGBT woman to serve on any federal circuit court.” However, the broader claim in the headline—that Robinson is the first LGBT federal appeals court nominee—is inaccurate.
In 2013, the Senate confirmation of Obama nominee Todd Hughes to the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit made Hughes the first openly gay federal appeals court judge. Hughes was followed by Patrick J. Bumatay, an openly gay man who was appointed to the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals by President Donald Trump in 2019.
While the AP article itself is accurate and includes the distinction that Robinson would become the first LGBT woman to serve on a federal circuit court, the accompanying headline is misleading.
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Concerning the content, what on earth does who a judge is sleeping with have to do with their judicial philosophy and how they interpret the law? These aren't legislators they are judges. So why the ballyhoo? Don't hammer me with replies because I am completely aware of that the decision is based in politics and score carding. I'm simply saying that sexual orientations are meaningless when deciding case law regardless of the intent of the appointer.
It must be really frustrating for writers when someone gives their carefully researched and written story a bad headline. I can't count the number of times I've read an article and then thought "But that's not quite what the headline said." Including here on TD.