Senator yields for vote on judge
The Senate confirmed as a federal judge a woman who attended a same-sex commitment ceremony, overwhelmingly rejecting the concerns of a Republican senator running for the White House.
The vote was 83-4 in favor of elevating Michigan Court of Appeals Judge Janet Neff to federal district court.
Neff in 2002 attended a same-sex commitment ceremony for the daughter of longtime neighbors.
Sen. Sam Brownback of Kansas last year blocked President Bush’s nomination of Neff, citing her attendance at the event. But Brownback, waging an uphill battle for his party’s 2008 presidential nomination, yielded to demands to permit a Senate confirmation vote.
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