During a confirmation hearing on Wednesday, United States District Judge Nancy Maldonado from the Northern District of Illinois faced difficulty in providing a response when questioned by Republican Sen. John Kennedy of Louisiana about the definition of “assault weapons”. Maldonado, who has been nominated by President Joe Biden for a position on the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, had previously supported a ban on “assault weapons” in Illinois state courts in the 2010s, as stated by vettingproject.org. Sen. Kennedy referred to her writings while inquiring if she could articulate the definition of an “assault weapon”.
“You said, ‘assault weapons may be banned because they’re extraordinarily dangerous and are not appropriate for legitimate self-defense purposes,’” Kennedy said. “Tell me what you meant by assault weapons.”
WATCH:@SenJohnKennedy: “You said, ‘assault weapons may be banned because they’re extraordinarily dangerous and are not appropriate for legitimate self-defense purposes.’ Tell me what you meant by assault weapons?”
Biden’s Seventh Circuit judge nominee Nancy Maldonado: “I’m not… pic.twitter.com/1ctY2E64IO
— Carrie Severino (@JCNSeverino) March 20, 2024
Maldonado clarified that she served as local counsel and did not author the brief mentioned by Kennedy. She signed the brief as per the Illinois Supreme Court’s requirement. The ban on semiautomatic firearms was ultimately upheld by the Illinois Supreme Court in a 2012 ruling.
“Tell me what you meant by assault weapons,” Kennedy said.
“I am not a gun expert,” Maldonado responded.