A federal judge who suspended the Food and Drug Administration’s approval of an abortion pill failed to disclose two interviews on a Christian radio show in which he discussed his extremist views on contraception and gay rights, CNN reported Thursday.
US District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk, a Trump appointee, overturned the FDA’s approval of mifepristone earlier this month, using the language of anti-abortion activists in his ruling. He was confirmed to a lifetime appointment in 2019 by the Senate and required to submit a detailed account of his previous writings and public appearances.
But CNN found two appearances on a radio show called “Chosen Generation” from 2014 when he worked as deputy general counsel at a religious freedom advocacy group called the First Liberty Institute. In one of the interviews from February 2014, Kacsmaryk was asked about the “homosexual agenda,” agreeing with the host that those who oppose same-sex marriage can be considered “enemies” against the federal government and said that the nation has adopted “too permissive” policies. about contraception.
In another view of July, he said that religious organizations may face difficulties in opposing the “new sexual orthodoxy” in gay rights.
None of that was included in a document sent to the Senate Judiciary Committee. Kacsmaryk told CNN that he had looked up the comments he made before his confirmation, but the interview did not appear, and he did not recall having done so.
“After listening to the audio file provided by CNN, I agree that the content is similar to the legal analysis that appeared throughout the SJQ and was discussed extensively during the Senate confirmation hearing,” Kacsmaryk said in a statement to the network. “Additionally, the transcript provided by CNN appears to track the audio and accurately recounts my responses during the call – if quoted in full.”
The revelation comes just days after The Washington Post reported Kacsmaryk did not disclose his connection to a 2017 article in the Texas law review that criticized protections for transgender people and Americans seeking abortions. Kacsmaryk was listed as the author of the article, but emailed the journal’s editor a few weeks later asking that his name be removed and replaced with two colleagues. The legal group he works with told the Post that his name was only used as a “placeholder” and that he didn’t give much away about the piece.
But Kacsmaryk had been interviewed for the judgeship at the time and was awaiting a White House interview.
An initial report in the Post sparked outrage from Democrats. Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.) called for Kacsmaryk immediately resigned, admitting the judge had “misled the American people … Because he knew that he would not be confirmed if people knew he was a religious zealot.”
GOP Sen. Lisa Murkowski (Alaska) also criticized Kacsmaryk’s decision on the medication abortion drug, saying she was “quite concerned” by the decision, which is currently on hold pending an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.
The FDA approved mifepristone in 2000 and it has been used safely by millions of Americans for medical abortion. It is only one of two drugs approved for the procedure and accounts for about 60% of all abortions in the country.