Hon. Embry J. Kidd Credit: Photo Wikimedia Commons

DeSantis expressed displeasure after the U.S. Senate on Monday confirmed a judge for a seat on the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which handles cases from Florida, Georgia and Alabama.

The Senate voted 49-45 to confirm Embry Kidd, and DeSantis was among Republicans who quickly called out GOP senators who skipped the vote.

“This leftist judge would have been voted down and the seat on the important 11th circuit would have been filled by Donald Trump next year had Republicans showed up,” DeSantis posted on X. “Now, the leftist judge will have a lifetime appointment and the people of FL, AL and GA will suffer the consequences.”

Kidd was among more than a dozen judicial nominees Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., prioritized for advancement before Democrats lose control of the Senate in January.

Among the Republican senators who didn’t vote were Vice President-elect JD Vance of Ohio and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, who has been nominated by Trump to serve as secretary of state.

Kidd has been a magistrate judge in the federal Middle District of Florida in Orlando since 2019.

President Joe Biden nominated Kidd for the appeals court in May. A graduate of Yale Law School, Kidd previously was an assistant U.S. attorney in the Middle District.

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This article appears in Nov 21-27, 2024.