President Obama's nomination of San Francisco Deputy City Attorney Vince Chhabria to a federal judgeship won Senate Judiciary Committee approval Thursday on a divided vote, with one Republican criticizing Chhabria's defense of the city in cases involving handguns and same-sex adoptions.
Sen. Charles Grassley of Iowa, one of five Republicans voting against Chhabria, said he was concerned that the nominee would be unable to "set aside his policy preferences and long record of liberal advocacy."
Grassley did not cite any public statements of advocacy by Chhabria, only his work as a lawyer. For example, he said, Chhabria has "tried to stifle religious expression" in his representation of the city in a suit by Catholic organizations over adoption policies....