Ex-Arkansas solicitor general confirmed as federal judge

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) - The Senate has confirmed a former Arkansas solicitor general as federal judge in Little Rock.

President Donald Trump nominated 40-year-old Lee Philip Rudofsky for the U.S. District Court in eastern Arkansas. The Senate approved the pick Thursday on a party-line vote.

The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports that Democratic Sen. Patty Murray from Washington argued against Rudofsky’s confirmation, saying he supported abortion restrictions when he was a solicitor general and opposed LGBTQ rights.

Rudofsky had said he’d follow Supreme Court precedent.

Arkansas Republican Sens. John Boozman and Tom Cotton backed Rudofsky’s confirmation.

Rudofsky served as Walmart’s senior director of global anti-corruption compliance. He clerked for judges in Massachusetts and Alaska.

Federal district judges can serve for life and earn $210,900 annually.

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Information from: Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, http://www.arkansasonline.com