Appointments/Elections

Thorne-Begland Confirmation Falls Short In Virginia

The  nomination of gay Prosecutor Tracy Thorne-Begland, a former fighter pilot and Navy officer, fell short of the necessary number of votes for confirmation to become Virginia’s first openly gay judge.  He “failed to garner the majority of the 100-member House of Delegates that was required to secure the judgeship.  Lawmakers…voted 33 to 31 to support him, with 10 abstentions.”

The nomination “had broad bipartisan support from the Courts of Justice Committee, which is charged with vetting judicial appointments, and many lawmakers assumed his appointment would be approved.”  The New York Times, 5/16/12