The U.S. Senate’s confirmation of Judge Ronnie White’s appointment to the federal bench by President Barack Obama made good on 17 years of waiting for White since his first appointment by President Bill Clinton was stymied by John Ashcroft, then a U.S. senator.
But for U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill – who successfully whipped votes for White’s confirmation on July 16 – this completed more than five years of her work on behalf of this appointment.
“I called Ronnie after Obama was elected in 2008 and asked, ‘if I can work it out,’ would he serve on the federal bench,” McCaskill told The American. “At first, he said he didn’t want to.”
It would be difficult to blame him.
When Clinton first nominated White for a seat on the Eastern District Court of Missouri in 1997, White was the first African-American judge on the Missouri Supreme Court. Ashcroft, a Republican, blocked White’s nomination because of White’s decisions in some death penalty cases. Speaking on the Senate floor, Ashcroft said that a federal judgeship would give White a platform to “push the law in a pro-criminal direction,” St. Louis Public Radio reported.
As White knew, memories of Ashcroft’s opposition to him and White’s voting record are fresh in the minds of powerful Missouri Republicans. In 1998, White was the lone dissenter in Missouri vs. Johnson, a death penalty appeals case before the Missouri Supreme Court. One of the defendant’s victims was an aunt of Tim Jones, who is now the Speaker of the House in the Republican-dominated Missouri Legislature.
Jones described White’s Senate confirmation as “disturbing and an outrage” in a statement.
“But he didn’t have a vote,” McCaskill told The American.
The one Missouri Republican who could have defeated White’s appointment, U.S. Senator Roy Blunt, voted against his appointment but did not actively work against it. The credit for neutralizing Blunt goes to McCaskill, according to many current and former judges who attended an impromptu celebration of White’s confirmation hosted at John D. McGurk’s Irish Pub on Thursday.
“Claire did a masterful job,” said Mike Wolff, dean of the Saint Louis University School of Law and a former colleague of White’s on the Missouri Supreme Court.
White was subtly but visibly emotional at his celebration, where he was greeted by several former colleagues on the Missouri Supreme Court and future colleagues on the federal bench.
Judge Richard B. (Rick) Teitelman of the Missouri Supreme Court was among the first to arrive. Teitelman shares minority pioneer status with White, being the first Jewish and the first blind judge to serve on the state’s highest court. He also has been viciously targeted by Missouri Republicans.
“This is a great day,” Teitelman said, repeatedly, as he grinned broadly throughout the reception.
Judge Rodney W. Sippel said he is looking forward to working with White on cases before the Eastern District. “He will be a great addition to the bench,” Sippel said. “And our group is very collegial. Everybody gets along.”
Judge Charles A. Shaw, White’s African-American predecessor on the Eastern District bench, said White’s voice will contribute to the “consensus” that he and his colleagues reach on cases.
“It’s about time,” Shaw said of White’s confirmation. “It’s long-overdue and well-deserved.”
White declined to speak to The American at the celebration. He thanked the paper for its support, but said everything he has ever said to the press, even in supportive articles, was used against him in his confirmation hearings.
McCaskill was still in Washington, D.C. doing Senate business as St. Louis’ legal and judicial communities celebrated her hard work at McGurk’s, though she happened to call The American to discuss White’s confirmation during the reception.
“I wish I was there,” McCaskill said.
She was asked if she had spoken to Bill Clinton yet about completing the job he started 17 years ago. “I need to call him,” McCaskill said. “I’ll make him my next call.”
To listen to McCaskill’s Senate speech on White’s behalf, go to her Youtube channel at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hozb541ofmA&list=UUnarZ9jmNhI-eDcEPBwqMFw.
