Beth Robinson: U.S. Circuit Judge for the Second Circuit

Beth Robinson has served as a justice on the Vermont Supreme Court since 2011. Prior to this, she was a leading litigator in Vermont and is considered a "pioneer" in the same-sex marriage movement. She clerked for Judge David Sentelle of the D.C. Circuit. Robinson has written on LGBT equality and litigated cases regarding LGBT adoption and child custody. She will be the first openly lesbian court of appeals judge in U.S. history. Robinson was confirmed as a U.S. circuit judge for the Second Circuit on November 1, 2021 by a vote of 51-45.

Views on Abortion:

• Robinson sued a Catholic couple for declining to print pro-abortion materials and argued that the Religious Freedom Restoration Act did not provide a defense. (See link)
• Robinson further claimed that the couple had "discriminated" against her client and equated the couple’s actions to racial discrimination, calling them "invidious" and "pernicious."

Views on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity:

• Robinson co-founded and directed organizations to redefine marriage and promote the LGBT agenda through the court system.
• Robinson has been noted by her supporters as "one of our nation’s most important pioneers" who "played a fundamental role" in the push to advance their radical agenda.

Judicial Philosophy: 

• The U.S. Constitution clearly does not guarantee a right to same-sex marriage, yet Robinson lobbied the courts to claim it does.
• She stated that "court decisions can catalyze broader social and legal change," making it clear that her socially progressive activism would continue in her new role.