Even though she previously signed a simple to defend a moratorium on “assault arms,” a member for a judicial seat nominated by Biden was n’t define the term “assault weapons” during a confirmation hearing on March 20.
” You said,’ assault weapons perhaps be banned because they’re incredibly risky and are not suitable for genuine self- defense purposes,'” Mr. Kennedy said. ” Tell me what you meant by rape weaponry”.
Judge Maldonado, who has been nominated by President Joe Biden for a chair on the U. S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, struggled to reply to the problem.
She continued, pointing out that she had signed the small and that she had not “written it,” which she claimed she had done to “testify to the court that everything is true.”
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” Yes”, she replied.
” So they’re your words in terms of the court, right”? he asked.
” You’re correct, Senator Kennedy”, prompting him to ask once what she meant by “assault weapons”.
” I am not a weapon specialist”, Judge Maldonado then said, with Mr. Kennedy pressing the issue, asking her to” only tell me what you wanted to ban”.
She continued, adding that she approved the small but “was not responsible for researching the content,”” I do n’t recall the precise definition of “assault weapons” in the law that was in dispute.
‘ Assault Weapons’ In Focus
In the exchange with Mr. Kennedy, Judge Maldonado acknowledged that she was “responsible” for the brief but insisted that she does n’t remember its specific” characteristics” as they related to the ordinance on “assault weapons”.
Asked explicitly whether she thinks deserves to be promoted to the appeals court chair, she said,” Senator, I stand by my document”.
Gun rights advocates claim that the term “assault weapons” is poorly defined and only of limited use in legal contexts, but it is a dangerously sounding term that is used to instill fear to build public support for gun restrictions on many modern sporting rifles ( MSR ).
The National Shooting Sports Foundation ( NSSF ) estimated in 2022 that there were over 24 million MSRs in circulation in the United States, which include AR- 15 and AK- style rifles.
The popularity of MSRs has been attributed to factors like accuracy, reliability, and recoil control.
This particular style of rifle is the top choice for law-abiding citizens for hunting, recreational shooting, and self-defense, according to NSSF president and CEO Joe Bartozzi in a statement at the time.” The firearm industry responds to market demand, and this shows that during the elevated period of firearm sales that began in 2020, this particular style of rifle is the top choice for law-abiding citizens for hunting, recreational shooting, and self-defense,” NSSF president and CEO Joe Bartozzi said in
When he pushes gun curbs, President Joe Biden has frequently used the term “assault weapon.”
In a statement to a group of mayors at the White House in January, he said,” I’m still committed to banning assault weapons and high-capacity magazines.
” When we passed the Second Amendment, guess what: You were n’t allowed to have a cannon”, the president told the mayors, while urging them to get onboard his gun control proposals.
” You’ve heard’ the tree of liberty is watered with the blood of patriots’? Guess what, man. I did n’t see a whole lot of patriots out there walking around making sure that we have these weapons”, he continued.
” If you really want to worry about the government, you need an F- 16″, President Biden said. ” You do n’t need an AR- 15″.
Judicial Nominations
Senate Republicans on Wednesday grilled Judge Maldonado on a variety of topics, including how she managed to accumulate one of the largest case backlogs of any federal trial court judge in the country.
She responded by stating that she was immediately assigned to around 300 cases with pending motions when she first joined the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois in August 2022. Then, after three judges retired, her caseload swelled to 360, she said.
Judge Maldonado claimed she worked hard to reduce the caseload, but that the speed of clearing the backlog was constrained by what she claimed was her desire to ensure the decisions were “well-reached.”
Michael Clements contributed to this report.
