The nomination of Hermiston native Ryan Bounds to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals got a boost today when the Senate Judiciary Committee voted 11-to-10 along party lines to forward it to the Senate floor for confirmation.
OregonLive reported that Bounds, the son of Roger and Karen Bounds of Hermiston, came under some fire from Democrats for controversial writings from the 1990s when he was at Stanford University that belittled campus diversity groups and the college’s handling of sexual assault suspects. He earlier apologized to the committee for the tone of the writing, calling it “overheated” and “high-handed.”
Bounds, a Hermiston High School graduate, serves as an assistant United States attorney for the District of Oregon, where he prosecutes criminal cases on behalf of the United States. Previously, he was a special assistant United States attorney for the District of Columbia. Before becoming a federal prosecutor, Bounds served as special assistant to the president for domestic policy, acting as the White House’s primary policy expert on criminal and civil justice issues.
For the full story, visit the OregonLive website.
