After liberals called for Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D., Calif.) to be demoted from her perch as the ranking member on the Senate Judiciary Committee, a conservative judicial group suggested a replacement: Sen. Mazie Hirono (D., Hawaii).
"Senator Hirono, the dumbest senator ever to serve in the United States Senate, has been very effective at helping President Trump confirm Justice Gorsuch, Justice Kavanaugh, and a near-record number of lower-court judges," said Mike Davis, the founder and president of the Article Three Project. "While Ranking Member Feinstein let Judge Barrett slide by without asking her if she is a rapist, Senator Hirono saved the day. Thus, A3P strongly endorses Senator Hirono’s elevation to the top Democrat post on the Senate Judiciary Committee."
Hirono has a history of drawing ridicule during judicial hearings, including for her question about whether Amy Coney Barrett, a married Catholic mother of seven whose children were seated in the room with her, had ever sexually assaulted anyone. Hirono also scolded Barrett for using the term "sexual preference," calling it an "offensive and outdated term," although Hirono's Democratic colleagues have used the term for years.
During Brett Kavanaugh's contentious confirmation battle, Hirono argued Kavanaugh should not be afforded presumption of innocence because of his "ideological agenda." She also dubbed Justices Neil Gorsuch, Samuel Alito, and Clarence Thomas "the three horsemen of the apocalypse" and has expressed confusion when witnesses explain how the law works.
Hirono has also taken issue with the religious faith of the Trump administration's appointees. In 2019, Hirono was formally rebuked, along with Democratic vice presidential nominee Sen. Kamala Harris (D., Calif.), for questioning federal court appointee Brian Buescher's membership in a Catholic fraternal group.