WASHINGTON — The Supreme Knight of the Knights of Columbus said
senators have no business questioning a federal judicial nominee's membership
in the Knights over its support for church teaching on abortion and same-sex
marriage.
"What we have to do is defend this fundamental principle of
the free exercise of religion," Carl Anderson said in a Jan. 4 telephone
interview. "It's something every Catholic should be concerned about."
Anderson was referring to statements made by Sen. Kamala Harris,
D-Calif., a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, during a confirmation hearing
for Brian Buescher, nominated for a judgeship for the U.S. District Court for
the District of Nebraska. Buescher, who lost the Republican nomination for
Nebraska attorney general in 2014 while saying during the campaign he was
"avidly pro-life," is a member of Knights, having joined when he was
18 years old.
Harris expressed concern during the hearing about the positions
on abortion and same-sex marriage taken by the Knights, which she called
"an all-male society comprised primarily of Catholic men."
Another Judiciary Committee member, Sen. Marie Hirono, D-Hawaii,
asked Buescher, "If confirmed, do you intend to end your membership with
this organization to avoid any appearance of bias?" Hirono was referring
to the Knights' support of California's Proposition 8 to ban same-sex marriage.
The proposition passed in 2008, but was overturned by the courts before it took
effect.
Hirono also asked Buescher if he would recuse himself "from
all cases in which the Knights of Columbus has taken a position," adding the
organization “has taken a number of extreme positions.”
Anderson, in a recent statement to all members of the Knights,
said, "We must remember that Article VI of the U.S. Constitution forbids a
religious test for public office, and the First Amendment guarantees our free
exercise of religion, freedom of association and freedom of speech. Any
suggestion that the order's adherence to the beliefs of the Catholic Church
makes a brother Knight unfit for public office blatantly violates those
constitutional guarantees."
Asked why it took more than a month after the hearing to issue a
statement, Anderson replied, "Really, we received just a flood of
inquiries as this began to catch more news attention from our members wanting
some guidance, wanting a clear statement. Washington has become so partisan and
caught up with personalities, I didn't want this to be a partisan thing or a
personality thing."
Still, "the way the political winds shift in
Washington," Anderson said, "it's a very dangerous road these senators
have started on."
Anderson also took issue with remarks posed by Sen. Dianne
Feinstein, D-Calif., at a 2017 Senate Judiciary Committee hearing for Amy Coney
Barrett, in which Sen. Feinstein told her, “The dogma lives loudly within you,
and that's of concern.” Barrett, who had been a professor at the University of
Notre Dame's law school, ultimately was confirmed for a seat on the U.S. Court
of Appeals for the 7th Circuit.
A vote on Buescher, who was nominated in October, remains in
limbo, as other judicial nominees nominated before Buescher also were awaiting
votes. Then-Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., had vowed to withhold support for any
judicial nominee until the Senate voted on a bill to protect special counsel
Robert Mueller's probe into Russian interference in the 2016 election.
"The Knights of Columbus is really an American Catholic
cultural icon," Anderson said. "The teaching of the church on
marriage and abortion is clear and long-standing. The question can become: If
belonging to a mainstream Catholic organization like the Knights of Columbus,
or accepting the established teaching of the church is dangerous, then what
teaching is safe?”