The American Bar Association said Leonard Steven Grasz is “not qualified” to serve as an 8th Circuit Court of Appeals judge.
The ABA’s standing committee ranks judicial nominees on a scale of “qualified,” “well qualified,” or “not qualified,” and told the Senate Judiciary Committee on Monday it believe Grasz was not qualified.
In its explanation for opposing President Trump’s 8th Circuit Court of Appeals nominee, the ABA cited concerns from Grasz’s colleagues including that he would not adhere to judicial precedent if confirmed.
“In addition, a number of Grasz’s colleagues expressed the view that, in terms of judicial temperament, as evaluated by the [ABA] committee, Mr. Grasz is not ‘free from bias,'” wrote the ABA. “Specifically, they expressed the view that he would be unable to separate his role as an advocate from that of a judge. Finally, members of the bar shared instances in which Mr. Grasz’s conduct was gratuitously rude.”
The ABA cited Grasz’s decision to stand by his anti-abortion views expressed in a 1999 law review article and his indication he “maintains that his own pro-life agenda has no impact on his conclusion as to how a lower court” should have ruled in Roe v. Wade. The Supreme Court legalized abortion in its adjudication of Roe.
The Senate Judiciary Committee is scheduled to hold hearings on Grasz’s nomination on Wednesday.
