Wyden, Merkley hold floor, fight 9th Circuit nominee

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – Democratic senators are voicing opposition to an Oregon federal prosecutor nominated to fill a judicial vacancy on the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

The Oregonian/OregonLive reports Oregon Sens. Ron Wyden, Jeff Merkley and other members of the Senate’s Democratic Caucus held the Senate floor Tuesday night for hours in protest of Ryan Bounds’ nomination.

Wyden and Merkley say Bounds did not disclose to Oregon’s judicial selection committee that he had a history of writing inflammatory pieces on sexual assault, the rights of workers, people of color and the LGBTQ community.

Merkley says it’s unprecedented for a judge to be confirmed without the support of a single home-state senator.

Republicans in the Senate are expected to vote to confirm Bounds’ nomination later this week.

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Information from: The Oregonian/OregonLive, http://www.oregonlive.com