Wendy Vitter

Wendy Baldwin Vitter (née Wendy Lee Freret Baldwin; born 1961)[3] is a United States District Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana.[4]

Wendy Vitter
Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana
Incumbent
Assumed office May 29, 2019
Appointed by	Donald Trump
Preceded by	Helen Ginger Berrigan
Personal details
Born	Wendy Lee Freret Baldwin 1961 (age 59–60) New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.
Political party	Republican[1]
Spouse(s)	David Vitter ​ (m. 1990)​ [2]
Children	4
Residence	Metairie, Louisiana
Education	Sam Houston State University (BA) Tulane University (JD)

Career

Vitter earned her Bachelor of Arts from Sam Houston State University and her Juris Doctor from Tulane University Law School.

Upon graduation from law school, she served as a law clerk in the Orleans Parish District Attorney's office and eventually rose to chief of the felony trials division. There, she prosecuted over 100 jury trials, primarily homicide cases.[5] Former New Orleans District Attorney Harry Connick Sr. called Vitter "honest, impartial and an outstanding legal scholar with plenty of courtroom experience."[6] Later she practiced at a boutique litigation firm specializing in maritime law and other matters.

Vitter worked as the General Counsel of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New Orleans from 2012 to 2019, representing the body in all legal matters.[7]

Federal judicial service

On January 23, 2018, Donald Trump nominated Vitter to the seat on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana vacated by Judge Helen Ginger Berrigan, who took senior status on August 23, 2016.[7][8] On April 11, 2018, a hearing on her nomination was held before the Senate Judiciary Committee.[9] On May 24, 2018 her nomination was reported out of committee by an 11–10 vote.[10]

During her hearing before the Judiciary Committee, Vitter was questioned closely by Democrats about her previous anti-abortion and anti-birth control advocacy. In her position as general counsel of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New Orleans, Vitter had promoted unsubstantiated claims about health dangers linked to the birth control pill. During her Senate hearing, Vitter distanced herself from these claims and promised to uphold Roe v. Wade.[11]

Senator Richard Blumenthal asked Vitter whether she thought Brown v. Board of Education was "correctly decided," and she declined to answer, saying "I don't mean to be coy, but I think I can get into a difficult, difficult area when I start commenting on Supreme Court decisions – which are correctly decided and which I may disagree with. Again my personal, political or religious views I would set aside – that is Supreme Court precedent. It is binding. If I were honored to be confirmed, I would be bound by it and of course, I would uphold it."[12] She further stated "It's very easy to see Plessy v. Ferguson and to read Justice Harlan's dissent which of course became the basis for Brown v. Board of Education and to look at that and say well that sounds very obvious to us now in 2018, that that was the right decision, but that's hindsight, I have the benefit of that hindsight."[13][14] She stated that "she didn't think she should comment on which cases she agreed with for fear of starting down a slippery slope."[15] According to CNN, "Judicial conservatives argued Vitter had declined to answer the Brown question because she believes that judges should maintain their impartiality by declining to put forward personal opinions on particular cases."[16] In written follow-up questions submitted after her hearing, Vitter said "I do not believe that racial segregation in schools is constitutional."[12]

A "substantial majority" of the American Bar Association, which evaluates candidates for the federal bench, rated Vitter with its "qualified" rating, with a minority of those who participated in the process rating her as "unqualified."[17] Vitter's judicial nomination was endorsed by then-mayor of New Orleans, Democrat Mitch Landrieu; current New Orleans District Attorney Leon A. Cannizzaro Jr.; and former New Orleans District Attorney Harry Connick Sr.[18][19][6] Vitter's judicial nomination has been opposed by the liberal judicial advocacy group the Alliance for Justice.[20]

On January 3, 2019, her nomination was returned to the President under Rule XXXI, Paragraph 6 of the United States Senate. On January 23, 2019, President Trump announced his intent to renominate Vitter for a federal judgeship.[21] Her nomination was sent to the Senate later that day.[22] On February 7, 2019, her nomination was reported out of committee by a 12–10 vote.[23] On May 15, 2019, the Senate voted to invoke cloture on her nomination by a vote of 51–45, with Senator Susan Collins the lone Republican voting against.[24] On May 16, 2019, her nomination was confirmed by a vote of 52–45.[25] She received her judicial commission on May 29, 2019.[26]

Personal life

She is married to former U.S. Senator David Vitter, with whom she has four children. The Vitters reside in Metairie, Louisiana.[27][3] Vitter predicted in 2000 that she would act more like Lorena Bobbitt than Hillary Clinton, if her husband strayed, saying, "If he does something like that, I'm walking away with one thing, and it's not alimony, trust me."[28] In 2007, Vitter stood by her husband and publicly stated her support for him after he admitted to and apologized for involvement with an escort service.[29]

See also

• Donald Trump judicial appointment controversies

References

1. "Judicial Questionnaire" (PDF). www.judiciary.senate.gov. 2018.
2. "Wendy Vitter, with one exception, might have what it takes to be federal judge".
3. Hamilton, Keegan. "Wendy Vitter Senate Questionnaire". Vice News.
4. "Trump nominates Wendy Vitter, wife of ex-Sen. David Vitter, for federal judgeship in New Orleans".
5. Bridges, Tyler. "Wendy Vitter nominated for coveted federal judgeship in New Orleans". The Advocate. Retrieved February 18, 2019.
6. Sr., Harry Connick. "Letters: Bottom-feeder James Gill should tell whole story". The Advocate. Retrieved February 18, 2019.
7. "President Donald J. Trump Announces Tenth Wave of Judicial Candidates" White House, January 23, 2018 This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
8. "Four Nominations Sent to the Senate Today".
9. "Nominations – United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary". www.judiciary.senate.gov.
10. Results of Executive Business Meeting – May 24, 2018, Senate Judiciary Committee
11. Totenberg, Nina (April 11, 2018). "Wendy Vitter, Wife Of 'D.C. Madam' Senator, Faces Thorny Hearing To Be Federal Judge". NPR. Retrieved April 11, 2018.
12. de Vogue, Ariane (February 10, 2019). "Judicial nominees are changing their approach to the 'Brown v Board' question at Senate hearings". CNN. Retrieved February 19, 2019.
13. Brown, Lauretta. "Dems, Media Target Judicial Nominee Over Her Response on Civil Rights Ruling, Omit Key Portion of It". Townhall. Retrieved February 18, 2019.
14. "Wendy Vitter is questioned by U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee". April 11, 2018. Retrieved February 18, 2019.
15. "Judicial nominees are changing their approach to the 'Brown v Board' question at Senate hearings". www.wicz.com. Retrieved February 18, 2019.
16. de Vogue, Ariane. "White House plans to send 50 judicial nominees to new Congress". CNN. Retrieved February 18, 2019.
17. The American Bar Association (December 13, 2018). "Standing Committee on the Federal Judiciary Ratings of Article III and IV Judicial Nominees 115th Congress" (PDF). AmericanBar.org.
18. Times-Picayune, NOLA com | The. "Mitch Landrieu backs Wendy Vitter's bid for federal judge". NOLA.com. Retrieved February 18, 2019.
19. Jr, Leon A. Cannizarro. "Orleans Parish DA: Wendy Vitter effective as prosecutor, well-qualified to be judge". The Advocate. Retrieved February 18, 2019.
20. Stole, Bryn. "Wendy Vitter didn't disclose several speeches, political ad in questionnaire, senator charges". The Advocate. Retrieved February 18, 2019.
21. "President Donald J. Trump Announces Intent to Nominate Judicial Nominees", White House, January 23, 2019
22. "Nominations Sent to the Senate", White House, January 23, 2019
23. Results of Executive Business Meeting – February 7, 2019, Senate Judiciary Committee
24. Roll Call Vote 116th Congress - 1st Session United States Senate Vote Summary: Vote Number 111, United States Senate, May 15, 2019
25. Roll Call Vote 116th Congress - 1st Session United States Senate Vote Summary: Vote Number 114, United States Senate, May 16, 2019
26. "District Judges | Eastern District of Louisiana | United States District Court". www.laed.uscourts.gov. Retrieved June 12, 2019.
27. "Trump nominates Sen. David Vitter's wife to be federal judge". The Washington Examiner. January 23, 2018.
28. Wendy Vitter has never been shy about standing her ground, Times-Picayune, Bruce Eggler, July 23, 2007. Retrieved July 7, 2018.
29. Tapper, Jake (July 10, 2007). "Sen. Vitter Apologizes for His Link to 'D.C. Madam'". ABC News. Retrieved April 30, 2018.

External links

• Wendy Vitter at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a public domain publication of the Federal Judicial Center.