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Feinstein Attacks Federal Judge Nominee's Faith: 'The Dogma Lives Loudly Within You'

Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D., Calif.) / Getty Images
Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D., Calif.) / Getty Images
September 6, 2017

Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein (Calif.) told a federal judicial nominee on Wednesday that reading her past speeches revealed how the Catholic "dogma lives loudly" within her.

Feinstein, the ranking member on the Judiciary Committee, made the remark during a confirmation hearing for Notre Dame Law School Professor Amy Coney Barrett.

"When you read your speeches, the conclusion one draws is that the dogma lives loudly within you, and that's of concern when you come to big issues that large numbers of people have fought for, for years in this country," Feinstein said.

Barrett, who has written about her faith and addressed Christian legal groups, said at the beginning of the hearing that it is "never appropriate for a judge to apply their personal convictions, whether it derives from faith or personal conviction," the Daily Caller reported.

Feinstein is not the first U.S. Senator this year to appear to employ a religious test for Trump's nominees.

In June, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I., Vt.) castigated Russell Vought, Trump's nominee for deputy director of the Office of Management and Budget, over his past Christian writings and grew irritated with him when he repeatedly identified his faith.

"I would simply say, Mr. Chairman, that this nominee is really not someone who is what this country is supposed to be about," Sanders said. "I will vote no."