NO RELIGIOUS TESTS FOR PUBLIC OFFICE: My colleague and friend Neomi Rao’s nomination is to the D.C. Circuit is pending. Nothing she has written conflicts with standard conservative judicial views, and the D.C. Circuit handles primarily administrative law cases, with no choice but to obey Supreme Court precedent on abortion if that issue ever comes before it. Yet Sen. Josh Hawley has suddenly been raising questions about Rao’s views on abortion and Roe v. Wade. I’ve been trying to figure out why, and the only thing I’ve come up with is that she is not a Christian by either background or practice, and therefore she is deemed potentially untrustworthy. I hope I’m wrong, though I just noticed that the Wall Street Journal just published an editorial implying the same thing. Conservatives have been rightly appalled at pointed questions aimed at nominees’ Christianity, and they should be equally appalled if someone’s judicial bona fides are being questioned because she is not a Christian.

UPDATE (FROM GLENN): I haven’t followed this closely, but I can’t think of any reason whatsoever not to confirm Neomi Rao posthaste.