Carrie Severino explains the heightened scrutiny now faced by conservative judges during their confirmation hearings. She writes at The Washington Examiner:
In a more rational world, Steven Menashi is the type of judicial nominee, unanimously confirmed to the Second Circuit Court of Appeals by now. But in today’s hyperpartisan environment, he is the latest target of the Democratic smear machine, simply because he happens to be a conservative. Menashi’s experience is not isolated and is, in fact, a signal of things to come.
Menashi is uber-qualified for the job, but despite, or perhaps because of, his unquestioned credentials, his nomination came under attack by liberals who have resorted to mining everything he ever wrote, no matter how old, for evidence of wrongthink, real or imagined.
Read more here.