by
Win
McNamee/Getty
Images)
A
lifetime
appointment
to
the
federal
bench
is
a
helluva
thank
you
gift!
Judge
Ed
Artau
of
Florida’s
Fourth
District
Court
of
Appeal
was
confirmed
to
the
District
Court
for
the
Southern
District
of
Florida,
along
party
lines
because
it
is
the
year
of
our
Lord
2025.
Artau
made
legal
news
recently
after
he,
as
part
of
an
appellate
panel,
signed
off
on
Donald
Trump’s…
interesting
legal
theory
that
he
can
file
a
defamation
lawsuit
against
the
Pulitzer
Prize
Board
for
refusing
to
rescind
the
award
given
to
journalists
reporting
on
the
Russian
interference
in
the
2016
presidential
election.
But
more
than
just
join
the
decision,
Artau
wrote
a
concurrence
endorsing
Trump’s
version
of
the
election,
writing,
“‘FAKE
NEWS.’
‘The
phony
Witch
Hunt.’
And
‘a
big
hoax.’
President
Donald
J.
Trump
has
publicly
used
these
phrases
to
describe
the
now
debunked
allegations
that
he
colluded
with
the
Russians
to
win
the
2016
presidential
election.”
And
just
a
few
months
later,
Artau
got
a
nomination
to
a
lifetime
position.
Democrats
have
also
questioned
the
timing
of
the
nom,
as
reported
by
Reuters:
Democratic
lawmakers
have
questioned
the
timing
of
Artau’s
nomination,
as
he
disclosed
he
had
spoken
with
Senator
Rick
Scott’s
general
counsel
about
a
potential
nomination
in
the
days
after
Trump
was
elected
in
November
2024
and
interviewed
with
the
White
House
two
weeks
after
the
court
ruled.Senate
Minority
Leader
Chuck
Schumer,
a
Democrat
from
New
York,
on
the
Senate
floor
on
Monday
accused
Artau
of
a
conflict
of
interest,
saying
he
presided
over
the
case
while
simultaneously
“begging
Donald
Trump
and
Republican
senators
for
a
judgeship.”“He’s
one
of
the
most
blatant
cases
of
quid
pro
quo
I
have
ever
seen,”
Schumer
said.
Artau
is
also
on
the
vanguard
of
far-right
jurists
itching
to
overturn
the
defamation
precedent
enshrined
in
New
York
Times
v.
Sullivan.
Which
seems
like
another
indicator
that
the
First
Amendment
is
about
to
get
a
troubling
makeover.
Kathryn
Rubino
is
a
Senior
Editor
at
Above
the
Law,
host
of
The
Jabot
podcast,
and
co-host
of
Thinking
Like
A
Lawyer.
AtL
tipsters
are
the
best,
so
please
connect
with
her.
Feel
free
to
email
her
with
any
tips,
questions,
or
comments
and
follow
her
on
Twitter
@Kathryn1 or
Mastodon
@[email protected].