Chad Meredith: Biden intends to nominate a conservative, anti-abortion lawyer to federal judgeship, Kentucky Democrats say

Kentucky Democrats expressed outrage about Meredith’s expected nomination to the court before it was clear that a vacancy would emerge on the bench. But on Friday, US District Court Judge Karen K. Caldwell of the Eastern District of Kentucky was added to a public list of future federal judicial vacancies, clearing a path for Meredith to potentially join the court.

The US Courts list indicates that Caldwell shared her decision late last month to move into “senior” status as a judge for the court. By taking senior status, US Courts states, judges may choose to handle a reduced caseload; regardless of that caseload, the status creates a vacancy on the court they serve on.

Biden’s prospective nomination comes just as the President is pledging to use everything within his power to fight for abortion rights in the wake of last week’s US Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade. With the federal constitutional right to an abortion eliminated, states will have to determine abortion rights unless Congress acts.

Meredith previously worked as then-Kentucky Republican Gov. Matt Bevin’s deputy counsel, defending a state law that requires doctors performing abortions to first perform an ultrasound and describe the image on the monitor to the patient.

“This is right in the heartland of what states are permitted to do to regulate medicine,” Meredith said at the time. “There are a number of patients who don’t understand the nature of the fetus within them.”

A spokesperson for Democratic Rep. John Yarmuth of Kentucky told CNN that the congressman “was informed of the White House’s intent to nominate Meredith by White House staff.” And Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear said in a news conference on Thursday that his team was informed about Biden’s intention to nominate Meredith “late last week.”

“My understanding right now is it has not been submitted, which I hope at the very least means it’s on pause,” Beshear said.

Beshear had strong words for Biden, saying: “If the President makes that nomination, it is indefensible.”

“I don’t know how the President can say he’s for public safety if he makes this nomination,” Beshear added.

Asked for comment, a White House official said, “As a matter of practice, we don’t comment on executive or judicial vacancies.”

Yarmuth told The Courier-Journal he believed Meredith’s prospective nomination “is part of some larger deal on judicial nominations between the President and Mitch McConnell” — namely, to get the Senate minority leader to agree to no longer hold up Biden’s future federal nominations.

Brian Fallon, the co-founder and executive director of Demand Justice, a left-leaning organization focused on America’s courts, on Friday criticized Biden’s potential nomination of Meredith as a contrast to his record on judicial nominations.

CNN has reached out to Meredith and McConnell’s office for comment.

This story has been updated with additional developments.