A Trump federal appeals court nominee got emotional at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing Wednesday in reaction to the American Bar Association concluding he was “not qualified” to serve as a judge, CNN reports. Lawrence J.C. VanDyke reportedly shed tears and his face got red as he defended himself against the ABA’s claims that he would not treat those in the LGBT+ community fairly in court. “I do not believe that,” he said. “It is a fundamental belief of mine that all people are created in the image of God [and] they should all be treated with dignity and respect.” The ABA also claimed VanDyke, a current deputy assistant attorney general at the Department of Justice, was described as “arrogant, lazy, an ideologue, and lacking in knowledge of the day-to-day practice including procedural rules” in interviews with those who worked with him. According to the association, individuals said VanDyke lacked an “open mind” and did not “always have a commitment to being candid and truthful.”
VanDyke is currently up for a position in the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals. The ABA has deemed at least six of Trump’s nominees unqualified to serve on the federal bench, though the Senate has confirmed five of those nominees.
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