Madison Reporter

David Lat, a lawyer and legal commentator with Original Jurisdiction, said in a newsletter that Rebecca Taibleson's nomination to the Seventh Circuit has stirred controversy.

"Trump's pick for a Wisconsin-based Seventh Circuit seat is taking flak from some conservatives," said Lat.

According to Lat's newsletter, Taibleson faced criticism from some conservatives for reasons he described as "pretty ridiculous," such as a $50 donation to Senator Joe Manchin. He emphasized her credentials, including clerkships for Justice Antonin Scalia and Justice Brett Kavanaugh before Kavanaugh's Supreme Court nomination. Lat noted that several conservative legal commentators defended Taibleson, arguing that the criticisms were misplaced.

Bloomberg Law reported that Taibleson was part of a slate of nominees recommended by a bipartisan commission established under Wisconsin law by Senators Ron Johnson and Tammy Baldwin. Each senator appointed three members to the six-member commission. The article reports that Senator Johnson supports Taibleson's nomination; however, there is no clear indication of Baldwin's stance. At her confirmation hearing, Taibleson acknowledged Johnson's backing but said she was unaware of Baldwin's support.

According to Townhall, one prominent critic is conservative activist and former Ohio Secretary of State Ken Blackwell, urging President Trump to withdraw Taibleson’s nomination. In that piece, Blackwell flagged her 2022 contribution to then-Senator Joe Manchin, her internship at the Department of Justice (DOJ) under the Obama administration, and purported support from Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) as causes for concern. He used those points to argue that conservatives should actively oppose Taibleson’s confirmation.

Rebecca Taibleson earned her undergraduate degree from Yale University and, after beginning law school at Stanford, transferred and completed her J.D. at Yale Law School in 2010. Early in her legal career, she clerked for now-Justice Brett Kavanaugh at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit and for Justice Antonin Scalia at the U.S. Supreme Court. She has served in private practice at Kirkland & Ellis, worked in the Department of Justice (including as assistant to the Solicitor General), and is currently the Appellate Chief and Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, according to her biography at Alliance for Justice.