Maine Democratic Party: Collins Cast Decisive Vote to Confirm Nominee Who Led Legal Assault on Affordable Care Act

AUGUSTA, Maine, Oct. 16 -- The Maine Democratic Party issued the following news release:

In 2018, Senator Susan Collins cast a deciding vote to confirm Andrew Oldham to the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. Oldham's nomination was opposed by civil rights and environmental groups because of his long history of extreme right wing views, and he was clearly hostile to the Affordable Care Act, but Senator Collins deemed him fit to serve.

Before Senator Collins voted to confirm him to a lifetime appointment, Oldham led Texas' effort to strike down the ACA and had an extensive record of defending laws that restricted voting rights and reproductive freedoms. Oldham had also worked with Scott Pruitt on two cases challenging the EPA's authority to implement the Clean Air Act and argued that environmental protections for clean air and water are illegitimate.

Thanks to Senator Collins' deciding vote, Oldham joined a long line of Trump nominated extreme right-wing judges that are now serving in lifetime seats on the federal bench. Collins has helped McConnell stack the federal courts by voting to confirm 181 Trump nominated judges, and to this day has never cast a deciding vote against a Trump judge. With her support, the Trump administration has been able to confirm a record number of judges who will threaten Mainers' rights for a generation.

"When Senator Collins cast the decisive vote to confirm Andrew Oldham, she gave a lifetime appointment to a man she knew would rule against Mainers' interests," said Maine Democratic Party Chair Kathleen Marra. "Mainers won't forget how Collins helped Donald Trump and Mitch McConnell reshape the federal courts and put our health care, our environment, and our rights at risk for decades to come."