Regis Grad Makes Quiet History

Cedar Rapids Regis and University of Iowa grad Paul Oetken is now a federal district judge. His confirmation Monday was historic, but surprisingly, in this charged political atmosphere, not controversial.

Dana Millbank of the Washington Post takes note:

The remarkable thing about what happened on the Senate floor Monday night was that it was utterly unremarkable.

The matter under consideration – the nomination of the first openly gay man to serve on the federal bench – would at one time have been a flashpoint in the culture wars. But Paul Oetken was confirmed without a word of objection on the Senate floor and with hardly a mention in the commentariat.

Even some of the chamber's most ardent social conservatives – Tom Coburn, John Cornyn, Jeff Sessions, Jon Kyl – cast votes for Oetken. When the lopsided vote tally of 80-13 was read out, there was no cheer or reaction of any kind. Senators continued their conversations as if nothing unusual had happened.

It would be premature to believe that Oetken's easy confirmation heralds some new post-sexual era in American politics; the fight over gay marriage continues undiminished. But it was a signal moment nonetheless.

Both Sens. Chuck Grassley and Tom Harkin voted in favor of Oetken's nomination to fill a vacancy in New York. The Yale Law graduate is clearly well-qualified:

Oetken is currently the senior vice president and associate general counsel of Cablevision, a cable television company primarily serving customers on the eastern seaboard. He has a long history of federal service, previously serving as a clerk to Supreme Court Justice Harry A. Blackmun and attorney-advisor in the United States Department of Justice Office of Legal Counsel. Oetken was recommended to replace Judge Denny Chin on the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York by New York Senator Charles E. Schumer.

(h/t

Bleeding Heartland)