Wendy Vitter, an anti-abortion advocate who refused to say if Brown v. Board of Education was correctly decided during her confirmation, was confirmed as a federal judge in Louisiana by the Senate on Thursday.
Vitter, who works as an attorney for the Catholic Archdiocese in New Orleans, secured the lifetime appointment by a 52-45 vote. She was nominated last year but never confirmed and had to be nominated again this year. During her confirmation hearing in 2018, Vitter was roundly criticized for her refusal to say whether the landmark school desegregation ruling was correctly decided. Vitter also has a long career of anti-abortion advocacy.
Vitter’s last name may sound familiar. Her husband, David Vitter, is the former Louisiana senator infamous for admitting to the “serious sin” of soliciting a prostitute. Another sex worker also publicly alleged David Vitter had a years-long relationship with her. He allegedly impregnated her and demanded she have an abortion, which doesn’t line up with his wife’s public, hardline views on pro-choice policy.
Both scandals helped derail his 2015 Louisiana gubernatorial bid.
