Alison Nathan, a former associate White House counsel who has been nominated for a Southern District judgeship, continues to face pointed questions from the top Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee. Ms. Nathan was the focus of questioning from Senator Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, on June 8, when she and three other district court nominees appeared for their confirmation hearing. Mr. Grassley asked at the time whether Ms. Nathan, 39, has enough experience to be a judge, as well as about her views on the death penalty and other issues.

In written questions to Ms. Nathan after the hearing, Mr. Grassley followed a similar line of inquiry. The senator asked Ms. Nathan about a 2008 blog post on the website of the liberal American Constitution Society. The post related to the death penalty case Baze v. Rees, in which Ms. Nathan was representing an amicus party in the U.S. Supreme Court, and to the standard for determining whether a punishment is cruel or unusual under the Eighth Amendment. “Under your analysis of the Eighth Amendment, how should a judge determine whether a particular method risks unnecessary pain?” Mr. Grassley asked. Ms. Nathan responded by quoting Chief Justice John Roberts Jr.’s opinion in the case and adding that, if she were confirmed, she would “faithfully apply the standard articulated” by the chief justice.

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