Biden Judicial Nominee Flunks Sen. Kennedy’s Constitutional Test: ‘Not Coming To Mind’
Trevor Schakohl on January 26, 2023
President Joe Biden’s nominee to be U.S. District Judge for the Eastern District of Washington drew a blank about the functions of two different constitutional articles Wednesday during her Senate confirmation hearing.
At the hearing shared with other judicial nominees, Republican Louisiana Sen. John Kennedy asked Spokane County Superior Court Judge Charnelle Bjelkengren “what Article 5 of the Constitution does.” She replied that the article was “not coming to mind at the moment,” with Kennedy subsequently asking, “How ’bout Article 2?”
“Neither is Article 2,” Bjelkengren admitted. Article 5 dictates the constitutional amendment process, while Article 2 establishes the presidency.
Bjelkengren was appointed to the Spokane County Superior Court in 2019, and Biden nominated her for U.S. District Judge last year with Democratic Washington Sen. Patty Murray’s recommendation.
“Not only has Judge Bjelkengren demonstrated her commitment to fairness and impartiality on the Spokane County Superior Court and, previously, as an administrative law judge—she also served Washington state as an Assistant Attorney General in Spokane, where she worked on issues from child care to higher education,” Murray said in September. “I look forward to seeing her continue to serve Eastern Washington as a judge on the District Court, and I’ll work hard to advance her nomination as quickly as possible to consideration by the full Senate.”
Bjelkengren’s Spokane County Superior Court judicial assistant and court reporter did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
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