A federal judge nominated to the nation’s second-most powerful court said Wednesday that he was writing as an academic and commentator when he criticized as “indefensible” a
Supreme Court ruling upholding the Affordable Care Act.
Justin Walker, a 37-year-old protege of
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Supreme Court Justice
Brett Kavanaugh, said he will have an open mind on the Obama-era health care law if it comes before him as a district or appeals court judge.
At a hearing on his nomination to a seat on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, Walker declined a request by Senate
Democrats to recuse himself on matters related to the health-care law if he's confirmed.