Democrat Sens. Kamala Harris and Mazie Hirono challenged lawyer Brian Buescher’s membership in the Knights of Columbus as part of the Senate Judiciary Committee’s review of his nomination for the U.S. District Court in Nebraska.
In a questionnaire sent to Buescher, Harris asked if he was aware that the Catholic organization, which she called an “all-male society,” was anti-abortion and anti-gay marriage when he joined. Hirono asked whether his membership would prevent him from hearing cases “fairly and impartially” and, if confirmed, whether he would end it.
“The Knights of Columbus has taken a number of extreme positions,” Hirono stated. “For example, it was reportedly one of the top contributors to California’s Proposition 8 campaign to ban same-sex marriage.”