On Wednesday's The 11th Hour show, MSNBC host Brian Williams put a negative spin on the recent appointment of five young conservative justices to the federal courts, making "elections have consequences" the theme of his closing commentary.
He began by lamenting that, instead of passing a COVID relief plan, Senate Republicans had been working hard to confirm judicial nominees put forth by President Donald Trump, whom the MSNBC host made sure to label as a "lame duck." Here's Williams:
Those people who accuse Mitch McConnell and the Republican-controlled U.S. Senate of not doing any work really aren't paying any attention to the Senate docket. While you'd be correct to assume they've done nothing for the victims of the coronavirus before leaving town tonight on a richly deserved long Thanksgiving break, in order to please a lame-duck President, they have approved five of Trump's federal judges in just these last 30 hours of work, including one they were warned against approving by the American Bar Association. But that's so old school and so administrative state and I digress.
He then focused much of his commentary on Kathryn Kimball Mizelle, noting she is unusually young for a judicial nominee at age 33, but also surprisingly putting a positive spin on her religious views.
He then pivoted to noting the young ages of the other four other newly confirmed judges, as he concluded by intoning: "The other four federal judges approved in these last 30 hours of Senate work, they are ages 38, 45, 39 and 40 -- all appointed for life, all with the power to reshape American law and life for the next half century or more -- all of it because elections have consequences."
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Below is a complete transcript of the closing commentary from the Wednesday, November 18, The 11th Hour with Brian Williams:
11th Hour With Brian Williams
11/18/2020
Last thing here before we go tonight, those people who accuse Mitch McConnell and the Republican-controlled U.S. Senate of not doing any work really aren't paying any attention to the Senate docket. While you'd be correct to assume they've done nothing for the victims of the coronavirus before leaving town tonight on a richly deserved long Thanksgiving break, in order to please a lame-duck President, they have approved five of Trump's federal judges in just these last 30 hours of work, including one they were warned against approving by the American Bar Association. But that's so old school and so administrative state and I digress.
One of those five judges approved over these last 30 hours is Kathryn Mizelle. Kathryn Kimball Mizelle -- known to her friends as "Kat" -- she is 33 years old, and while she has never tried a case in a courtroom, if you encounter her in her new job, you'd best refer to her as "your honor." She's only been out of law school for eight years. The Bar Association labeled her unqualified for the job, but no matter. That did not stop Kat from becoming a federal judge. For starters, two things jump off her resume. She clerked for Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, and she works at Jones Day -- one of the Trump campaign law firms where (Don) McGahn is a partner.
In her defense, she's always been a star at the Lakeland, Florida, Christian School. They still talk about her -- her perfect English score on the ACT, two years as class president. She was on four high school sports teams, took piano lessons for nine years. She was first in her class at University of Florida Law School. She's deeply religious, talks about her faith, but in a way a lot of people agree with. Years ago, she told her alumni magazine at Lakeland Christian, quote:
"Faith and living are not two separate parts of my life... I think of my work... as work that I'm doing unto the Lord, and I want to do my best for Him. I continue to strive to serve Him, and I think that means giving your absolute best to whatever you're doing and serving with a focus not to glorify yourself but to glorify Christ."
And at the age of 33, she is now a federal judge for life -- part of a federal judiciary remade by Graham, McConnell, and Trump. The other four federal judges approved in these last 30 hours of Senate work, they are ages 38, 45, 39 and 40 -- all appointed for life, all with the power to reshape American law and life for the next half century or more -- all of it because elections have consequences.
