Justice Thomas was confirmed in 1991. There are quite a few former Thomas clerks around, including as state and federal judges. The Acting Solicitor General is a former Thomas clerk. He has sworn in various people. Kavanaugh's connections with the Vance Family resulted in him doing the honors there.
(James David Vance reportedly had scheduling conflicts. Yes, I'm still not going to call him "JD.")
Kristi Noem is on the unqualified Trump flunky who is not Hegseth/Kennedy/Gabbard level TERRIBLE level when it comes to Trump appointees. She has the usual Trump Republican views. She allegedly even had plastic surgery to look more like a "Trump woman." She infamously killed her dog.
Governor Noem (South Dakota) was blocked from entering the lands of tribal nations in the state (or nearly all of them) after accusing some tribal leaders of benefiting from Mexican drug cartels. She has spoken about an "invasion" (which has legal and constitutional implications) over the Southern border.
(Here's the USA Today profile.)
Noem was confirmed by a vote of 59-34 with seven Democrats going along with some others not voting. Sen. Andy Kim (D-NJ) said he strongly disagrees with many of her views but hoped to work with her. Okay, senator. The list of "yeas" are:
- Sen. John Fetterman (Pa.)
- Sen. Maggie Hassan (N.H.)
- Sen. Tim Kaine (Va.)
- Sen. Andy Kim (N.J.)
- Sen. Gary Peters (Mich.)
- Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (N.H.)
- Sen. Elisa Slotkin (Mich.)
I do wish more articles that discuss confirmations and legislation passed provide such basic details. Yes, I am partially talking about your NYT. Anyways, to cite some highlights (so to speak):
She has described high levels of immigration to the United States in recent years as an “invasion,” and she has supported restoring a policy that requires asylum seekers to stay in Mexico for the duration of their U.S. cases. The policy, in place during Mr. Trump’s first term, was heavily criticized by Democrats and immigration-rights activists.
As governor of South Dakota, she opposed accepting Afghan refugees after the chaotic American withdrawal from Afghanistan, and she sent members of her state’s National Guard to Texas to address the immigration crisis — a contentious move that Mr. Trump cited in picking her for homeland security secretary.
As with Pam Bondi, voting against Kristi Noem also would be a suitable response to some of Trump's early moves. One notable "nay" is the new senator from Arizona who voted for the Laken Riley Act.
To cite the CNN article:
Trump began his second term in office by taking a series of sweeping immigration executive actions that included declaring a national emergency at the US southern border and kicking off the process to end birthright citizenship, a move that prompted almost immediate legal challenges.
What does Homeland Security do? From its website:
Eleven days after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, Pennsylvania Governor Tom Ridge was appointed as the first Director of the Office of Homeland Security in the White House. The office oversaw and coordinated a comprehensive national strategy to safeguard the country against terrorism and respond to any future attacks.
With the passage of the Homeland Security Act by Congress in November 2002, the Department of Homeland Security formally came into being as a stand-alone, Cabinet-level department to further coordinate and unify national homeland security efforts, opening its doors on March 1, 2003.
The new department consisted primarily of components transferred from other Cabinet departments because of their role in homeland security, such as the Coast Guard, the Federal Protective Service, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (which includes the United States Border Patrol), U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (which includes Homeland Security Investigations), the United States Secret Service and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Trump recently mused about ending FEMA. His administration will be particularly concerned about border issues, including promoting racist inhumane policies. Secretary of Homeland Security Noem will help promote those goals, tossing in some incompetence.
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