Another nominee of President Joe Biden doesn’t seem to cut the mustard in their pursuit of becoming a U.S. District Judge for the Eastern District of Washington.
Sen. John Kennedy was leading in questioning Spokane County Superior Court Judge Charnelle Bjelkengren during her Senate confirmation hearing this week.
It should have been a lob that the judge could have knocked out of the park, Kennedy asked Bjelkengren what the purpose was of Article 5 in the Constitution.
But Judge Bjelkengren drew a blank at the question and said that the article was “not coming to mind at the moment.”
Kennedy responded with a second question, “How ’bout Article 2?”
“Neither is Article 2,” Bjelkengren admitted.
Article 5 of the U.S. Constitution dictates the constitutional amendment process. Article 2 established the presidency. The purpose of both of these Articles should be evident in the mind of any judge of a court in America.
Judge Bjelkengren was appointed to the Spokane County Superior Court in 2019, and President Biden chose to nominate her for U.S. District Judge last year. This decision came with Democratic Washington Sen. Patty Murray’s recommendation.
Murry said at the time of her nomination, “Not only has Judge Bjelkengren demonstrated her commitment to fairness and impartiality on the Spokane County Superior Court and, previously, as an administrative law judge—she also served Washington state as an Assistant Attorney General in Spokane, where she worked on issues from child care to higher education.”
The senator also said that she looked forward to seeing Bjelkengren continue servicing Eastern Washington as a judge on the District Court. Murry vowed to work hard to advance her nomination as quickly as possible.
Maybe they should have taken a little bit more time instead of moving so quickly. The judge could have sat in on some classes, like the ones that immigrants seeking citizenship take.
