A key step in the appointment of an Anchorage attorney passed quietly Wednesday morning as Josh Kindred appeared before the U.S. Senate’s judiciary committee after his nomination to replace semi-retired U.S. District Court Judge Ralph Beistline.
Kindred received only four questions from two U.S. senators after being introduced by U.S. Sen Dan-Sullivan, R-Alaska, on Wednesday morning in Washington, D.C. Kindred appeared in front of the committee alongside a series of other Republican-nominated federal judge candidates, and the judiciary committee will have a week to ask written questions before the full U.S. Senate considers a vote to confirm them for lifetime appointments.
Kindred formerly served as legal counsel to the Alaska Oil and Gas Association, and Sen. Chris Coons, D-Delaware, asked him when he ever argued on behalf of greater environmental regulation. Kindred responded by discussing his opposition to an EPA ban on small incinerators in rural Alaska, saying flying garbage out of remote sites would have had greater environmental harm.
Sen. John Kennedy, R-Louisiana, asked the prospective judges basic legal questions to determine their knowledge. He asked Kindred what the exceptions to warrant requirements are; Kindred responded that one is safety.
Continuing his inquiry about warrant requirements, he asked Kindred about DUI roadblocks, in which police stop all drivers to determine if they are operating under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Responding, Kindred said it’s important to apply an accountability standard to law enforcement and to be cautious and protect the rights of the accused.