Yesterday I posted about Richmond General District Court Judge Tracy Thorne-Begland, who was appointed to the bench by Circuit Court judges last June on an interim basis after he was rejected by Virginia's Republican-controlled House. Thorne-Begland was set to appear before a joint House and Senate panel for an interview to make his appointment permanent.
The panel voted unanimously to send his nomination to the full floor for a vote, the Washington Post reports:
Republicans have largely dropped their opposition.
At a joint meeting of House and Senate judicial panels Monday, several House members who had opposed him last year said they would vote for him now.
“I look forward to voting for you,” said Del. Richard L. Morris (R-Isle of Wight), a Navy veteran and military lawyer who abstained in May.
Most opponents said last year that they objected to Thorne-Begland not because of his sexual orientation but because of his outspokenness on the subject of gay rights.
UPDATE: The Virginia House of Delegates has voted 66-28 to confirm Thorne-Begland, with one abstention.
