©2026 League of Conservation Voters
2018 Scorecard Vote
51
44
5
Issues
The Senate considered President Trump’s nomination of Ryan Nelson to be U.S. circuit court judge for the Ninth Circuit. Circuit courts are often the ultimate arbiters of highly significant cases and it is critical that the judges confirmed to serve lifetime appointments on these courts are qualified, non-partisan, and committed to treating parties fairly. Moreover, the Ninth Circuit, the largest circuit court covering nearly three-quarters of the United States’ public lands, serves a crucial role in deciding some of our nation’s most important environmental cases. During his time in the Department of Justice’s Environment and Natural Resources Division (ENRD), Nelson oversaw the legal defense of the President George W. Bush administration’s efforts to benefit polluters and roll back critical environmental protections. This included helping the government argue against regulating carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in Massachusetts v. EPA. On July 31, the Senate confirmed Nelson to the Ninth Circuit by a vote of 51-44 (Senate roll call vote 232). NO IS THE PRO-ENVIRONMENT VOTE.
©2026 League of Conservation Voters