Staff Reports
Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO) has once again proven to be a leading conservative voice by taking a Biden judicial nominee to task for her history of litigating against religious liberty claims. Hawley questioned Loren AliKhan, Biden’s nominee for district judge for the District of Columbia, about her involvement in multiple cases, including Capitol Hill Baptist Church v. Bowser, a COVID lockdown case that only targeted religious gatherings.
Sen. Hawley Obliterates a Biden Nominee About Her Defense of Religious Discrimination https://t.co/z89POq4wO6
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) June 8, 2023
Ms. AliKhan, who currently serves on the DC Court of Appeals, attempted to defend her actions as DC’s solicitor general at the time, arguing that the lockdown policy was about containing the virus and restricting all types of activity in the district, not just religious gatherings. However, when Hawley questioned her about whether the policy applied to mass protests in the district, AliKhan could only offer weak deflections.
Senator @HawleyMO: "Do you think it's wrong to discriminate on the basis of religious faith?"
Biden’s district judge nominee for D.C Loren AliKhan: "Absolutely."
Senator Hawley: "Then why did you argue that religious services and religious people pose a greater risk of… pic.twitter.com/lqMPt3Q8x4
— Carrie Severino (@JCNSeverino) June 7, 2023
Hawley exposed the hypocrisy of Democrats and the liberal media who encouraged mass protests in the city during the pandemic while denying basic religious freedoms to those who wanted to attend church services outside while wearing masks and being socially distanced. The nonsensical position taken by Democrats to endorse mass protests while forcing churchgoers to remain locked inside their homes is nothing short of outrageous.
As usual, the political class drummed up the ‘stay home, save lives’ mantra to keep Americans locked inside their homes over a virus with a 99-plus percent survival rate. But, as Hawley rightly notes, Mayor Bowser attended mass protests in the city while denying churchgoers their right to congregate for services.
Hawley is absolutely right to be skeptical of AliKhan’s nomination as a district judge for the District of Columbia. Her history of restricting religious freedoms while endorsing mass protests is simply unacceptable and goes against the fundamental principles of our democracy. It is time for the political class to stop playing their games and start respecting the rights of all Americans.
