- Matthew Kacsmaryk is a Texas federal judge appointed by Donald Trump in 2017.
- Since his confirmation, judges have filed several lawsuits in favor of conservative grounds.
- He is expected to rule on a lawsuit that could ban FDA-approved abortion drugs.
Matthew Kacsmaryk, 45, is a federal judge in the Amarillo Division for the Northern District of Texas and is expected to make a decision soon. lawsuit Calls for a ban on FDA-approved abortion drugs. This decision could have nationwide implications for drug availability.
The lawsuit, filed by the Alliance For Hippocratic Medicine, covers the Federal Drug Administration’s approval of mifepristone in 2000. Mifepristone is an abortion drug that can be prescribed during her first ten weeks of pregnancy.
Experts claim the lawsuit is based on false claims about the drug. Attorneys for the American Medical Association and other groups say the drug is almost as safe as ibuprofen, and Viagra and childbirth carry even more risks.
If Kacsmaryk decides in favor of anti-abortion groups, the case will be appealed and eventually sent to the conservative-majority Supreme Court for another major ruling on abortion rights. There is a possibility.
Here’s what we know about Kacsmaryk.
What was his upbringing like?
Kacsmaryk — pronounced kaz-mare-ik — was born in 1977 in Gainesville, Florida, according to the Federal Justice Center.
He was raised in Forsworth, Texas, by his younger sister, Jennifer Griffiths, who is a born-again Christian. told the Washington Post.
According to the judge’s profile in The Washington Post, religion was an important part of the Kaksmalik family, who regularly attended the West Freeway Church of Christ.
Griffith told the newspaper that the children were taught early on that abortion was wrong.
Kacsmaryk is “very passionate about the fact that he preaches the pro-life and does nothing,” Griffith told The Post.
where did he go to school
Kacsmaryk graduated from Abilene Christian University in 1999 and received a law degree from the University of Texas Law School in 2003.
In a blog post highlighting Kacsmaryk’s confirmation as a “victory for religious freedom,” the conservative Christian non-profit First Liberty Institute said: I have written How did you meet Kelly Shackelford, the organization’s CEO, when you took a religious liberty class in law school? About ten years later, Kacsmaryk served as deputy general counsel on the organization’s litigation. Survey says all judicial candidates must fill out before confirmation.
The Post reported that it was during law school that Kaksmalik focused on abortion rights. He and Rep. Chip Roy, who represents the 21st District of Texas, will attend a meeting of the Federalist Society, a conservative legal group, at the law school to discuss the Supreme Court’s landmark Roe v. Wade ruling. was.
Roy told the Post, “I remember very clearly that we had a long discussion about how the Supreme Court distorted itself to achieve policy outcomes, and the results tore the fabric of our country apart. there is,” he said.
Kacsmaryk was also editor-in-chief of the Texas Review of Law & Politics, and has won two Dean’s Achievement Awards, according to the poll.
What has he said before about abortion and his political views?
As an undergraduate, Kaksmalik studied political science and was outspoken about her conservative views and stance on abortion.
and 1996 letter to the editor published in the university newspaperKacsmaryk advocated extending full legal rights to the “unborn child”.
“The Democratic Party’s ability to tolerate federally sanctioned extermination of innocent human life demonstrates the party’s underlying moral contradictions,” he wrote. “Perhaps more than any other institution of state, the liberal Democratic Party and its ideological affiliates have contributed to the demise of America’s Christian heritage.”
The letter also appeared to criticize the idea that “homosexuality is a legitimate alternative family unit” and the Clinton administration’s removal of the ban on military service for LGBTQ members.
He also led a group of college Republicans, the Post reported.
In 2015, Kacsmaryk two article Condemn same-sex marriage and abortion rights.
National Catholic RegisterKacsmaryk writes how decades of litigation have removed “three pillars of marriage law: first permanence, second exclusivity, and third procreation.”
“Griswold v. Connecticut (1965), Eisenstadt v. Baird (1965), Roe v. Wade (1973), Planned Parents v. Casey (1992)”.
Who appointed Kacsmaryk?
Donald Trump nominated Kaksmalik for life in 2017.
The Senate confirmed Kaksmalik in June 2019, almost bipartisanly, with the exception of Senator Susan Collins.
“Kaksmalik dismissed advocates of reproductive choice as ‘sexual revolutionaries’ and disparagingly criticized the legal basis of Roe v. Wade.” Collins said in a statement at the time. “Such extreme statements do not adequately reflect Mr. Kaksmalik’s temper and suggest his inability to respect precedent and apply the law fairly and impartially.”
Kacsmaryk was asked at the confirmation hearing whether the judge would apply religious beliefs in deciding the case.
“You shouldn’t,” he said.
What are some of his recent major rulings?
Kacsmaryk’s legal practice is diverse, with Baker Botts LLP focusing on intellectual property cases and later alleging cases involving “terrorism, fraud, counterfeiting, counterfeiting, firearms and drug trafficking” among other crimes. . According to his resume, the North Texas District.
Before he was confirmed, he was two Oregon-based Christians who refused to make a wedding cake for a lesbian couple while he was enrolled at First Liberty Institute in 2013. I was representing a bakery.
Recent high-profile cases include the November ruling that nullified the efforts of the Biden administration. Protecting LGBTQ people from discrimination in healthcare.
Kacsmaryk also suspended the current administration’s attempt to end a Trump-era law known as the “stay in Mexico” border policy.
In December, Kacsmaryk ruled in favor of a Texas father’s case challenging Title X, a federal program that provides teens with access to contraceptives without parental consent. .
A federal judge ruled that Title XFundamental right to control and direct the upbringing of his minor children.”
A spokesperson for Kacsmaryk’s room could not be reached for comment.