The U.S. Senate on Monday confirmed the appointment of the first openly LGBTQ woman for a seat on a federal appeals circuit bench.
Monday's roll call vote, 51-45, came with no debate on the Senate floor, but followed an unusually crass interrogation of the nominee, Beth Robinson, on paper.
After challenging Robinson in the publicly broadcast confirmation hearing last month, Republicans posed a sometimes-bizarre series of questions through behind-the-scenes Senate questionnaires.
Among other things, Republicans asked Robinson: "How many biological sexes do you believe there are?" and "Do you think it is appropriate for an individual to threaten a 6-year-old girl with a box cutter by telling her that he would kill her in her sleep?" One