Lawyer's blog posts could be an issue in judicial confirmation bid
Kansas City lawyer Stephen Bough last posted commentary on a political blog in 2009, but he now has some new readers.
The Senate Judiciary Committee is considering Bough’s nomination to be a judge in the Western District of Missouri, and his blog is getting a closer look, according to Legal Times (sub. req.). A personal injury lawyer, Bough posted comments favoring Democrats on the blog when he led a group called Committee for County Progress.
One post expressed hope that voters would oust U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., who remains in the Senate. Another statement, made in the comments section, said, “You and the 3 other folks who read this blog will agree I shouldn’t be a judge.”
U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, mentioned the “I shouldn’t be a judge” statement with a laugh during a confirmation hearing on Thursday before the Judiciary Committee, the story says.
“I just wanted to make sure you are aware that some question whether you possess the temperament we typically look for in a candidate for federal judge,” Grassley told Bough. “I just wanted you to know in fairness that we’ll be taking a close look at your writings on that blog and I imagine some of my colleagues will as well.”
