U.S. Sen. Angus King called his vote to confirm a 35-year-old conservative to a lifetime judgeship a “mistake.”
In a 51-46 vote, the U.S. Senate on Wednesday confirmed Josh Divine to a seat on the bench for a U.S. District Court in Missouri. Three senators did not vote.
King told the Huffington Post that he took the advice of U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Missouri, to vote to confirm Divine. Divine formerly served as Hawley’s chief counsel.
“In retrospect, I think it was a mistake, from what I’ve learned about Mr. Divine since. But sometimes, you rely on your colleagues,” King told the Huffington Post.
The Huffington Post reported that Divine, as general counsel in Missouri, was an opponent to abortion access, LGBTQ+ rights and conversion therapy bans.
In the past, he also advocated for literacy tests for ballot access, according to the Huffington Post.
King spokesperson Matthew Felling told the Bangor Daily News on Wednesday that he would look into the matter when asked why King voted for Divine but later said the office had no comment. Felling did not immediately provide comment when asked Thursday about King’s comments to Capitol Hill reporters.
Lisa Margulies, vice president of Planned Parenthood Maine Action Fund, said Thursday the group opposed Divine’s nomination and called his appointment “part of a decades-long campaign to take away our reproductive rights and target Planned Parenthood.” Margulies did not refer to King by name but added that “we need to know that our leaders in Congress are paying attention and understand what’s at stake with each and every vote.”
King, an independent who caucuses with Democrats, has been a longstanding supporter of abortion rights, and a page on his website touts his support for women’s health care and reproductive rights. On that page, King called women’s ability to make decisions about their own bodies a “fundamental right.”
BDN writer Billy Kobin contributed to this report.