Confirmation Hearing Today For Brownback's Appeals Court Judge

TOPEKA, Kan.—As anyone who's followed Sam Brownback's exploits over the years knows, after the ultra-conservative Republican finished trying to screw over the adult industry and sexual freedom in general as a U.S. Senator, he was elected in November of 2010 as governor of Kansas—and has spent much of his time since then screwing over his entire state. Among Brownback's recent "accomplishments": Rescinding employment protections for LGBT government employees; raising taxes on "sin" like alcohol and tobacco while drastically cutting them on businesses, leaving a state budget hole of about $600 million for the coming fiscal year—so of course, his first thought was to cut funds for education to the tune of $44.5 million! And let's not forget gutting spending on the state's infrastructure and pension system. Brownback also unequivocally supported his former Attorney General Phill Kline, who illegally tried to close the state's women's clinics after trying to illegally seize abortion records, and tried to get the judges who disbarred Kline from being reelected. So it probably shouldn't come as much of a surprise that Brownback nominated attorney Kathryn Gardner for a seat on the state's Court of Appeals. After all, Gardner spent five hours of training in "neo-discrimination" at, and gave four seminars to, the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), the far-right-wing legal group (formerly Alliance Defense Fund) started by former Meese Commission executive director Alan Sears. Gardner is also a member of the Christian Legal Society, which encourages its attorney members "to proclaim, love and serve Jesus Christ through the study and practice of law." Of course, with all of that history, Brownback's sure she'll do a great job on the Court of Appeals. "She is a gifted individual and accomplished attorney who is deeply committed to serving her community and the State," Brownback said. "I am pleased to appoint her and look forward to the Senate's review and confirmation." That confirmation is almost a sure thing, considering that both the Kansas Senate and House of Representatives are overwhelmingly Republican. And she'll take office just in time to uphold Kansas Senate Bill 56, which should be signed into law in a matter of days, which would take away school teachers' customary exemption from prosecution for teaching allegedly "harmful materials"—like a sex education poster that showed up in some schools, which suggested, among other things, "oral and anal sex, as well as touching each other’s genitals, in response to the question, 'How do people express their sexual feelings?'" And who knows, maybe Brownback will also follow Rick Perry's example in Texas and call for his state to secede!