Wyoming Lawyer Who Introduced Legislation To Restrict Access To Abortion Nominated For Federal Judgeship

Sens. Craig Thomas (R-Wyo.) and Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.) on Monday announced the nomination of lawyer Richard Honaker for a U.S. District Court judgeship, the AP/Billings Gazette reports. Honaker in 1991 while a member of the Wyoming Legislature introduced a bill -- called the Human Life Protection Act -- that would have banned abortion except in cases of rape or incest or if the pregnant woman's health was in jeopardy, according to the AP/Gazette. The legislation would have required survivors of rape and incest seeking an abortion to report the crime within five days. The state House Judiciary Committee in 1991 voted 5-4 against the bill. After the legislation failed, the political action committee Unseen Hands of Prayer Circle attempted to place the measure on a state ballot. Honaker represented Unseen Hands in an appeal to the Wyoming Supreme Court. Opponents of the measure said it violated the U.S. Constitution. The court allowed the measure to be placed on the ballot in 1994, but it was not approved by state voters. Honaker on Monday said, "As a state legislator, I took positions on a lot of legislative issues and public policy issues, and one of them was on the abortion issue." He added that his "role as a judge would be far different." Honaker said, "I am absolutely committed to approaching every case that I hear with an open mind and deciding every case that I hear fairly and impartially, based on the rule of law and the U.S. Constitution." Sharon Breitweiser, executive director of NARAL Pro-Choice Wyoming, said she is "horrified" at Honaker's nomination, adding that she "doubt[s] that his zeal for the anti-abortion movement has waned in any way." Cameron Hardy, a spokesperson for Thomas, said he was not aware of Honaker's stance on abortion rights (Neary, AP/Billings Gazette, 3/19). Thomas in a statement said that Honaker "has the right judicial philosophy; he knows the importance of interpreting the law while not legislating from the bench." Enzi in a statement said Honaker "has what it takes to provide an impartial hand in applying the laws of the land." Honaker has been nominated by President Bush to fill the U.S. District Court seat in Wyoming vacated by the retirement of Judge Clarence Brimmer, the Casper Star-Tribune reports (Barron, Casper Star-Tribune, 3/20).

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