Pro-choice Senator Angus King (I-MA) admitted he made a "mistake" by voting to confirm a staunchly anti-abortion lawyer to a lifetime federal judgeship.
Josh Divine, 35, was confirmed to the Missouri federal court seat on Tuesday by a narrow, party-line vote in the Republican-controlled Senate. King, who caucuses with Democrats and has long supported abortion rights, was the only non-Republican senator to vote in favor of Divine's confirmation.
Just two days after the vote, King told HuffPost that he made a mistake.
"I took Josh Hawley's advice," King said. "In retrospect, I think it was a mistake, from what I've learned about Mr. Divine since. But sometimes, you rely on your colleagues."
King acknowledged he was "not fully" aware of Divine's record, which includes:
- Leading Missouri's legal fight to restrict access to mifepristone
- Arguing that rape shouldn't make abortion permissible
- Defending bans on Medicaid funding for Planned Parenthood
- Supporting anti-trans legislation and conversion therapy
- Previously advocating for the reinstatement of literacy tests for voting
Divine's confirmation would have proceeded with full Republican support regardless of King's vote, but the Independent nonetheless drew criticism from advocacy groups and voters who elected him, in part, for his pro-choice record.
Nominated by President Donald Trump, Divine is now set to serve as a US District Court judge for both the Eastern and Western Districts of Missouri.
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