Tennessee Republican senators made a point of saying President Biden’s nominee for the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals believes himself to be above the law after the FBI learned he had his driver’s license suspended three times, and they lambasted Biden for neglecting to meaningfully interact with them before making his nomination.
Andre Mathis wrote a letter to Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee Dick Durbin, D-Ill., and Ranking Member Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, on the FBI’s background check, which discovered that his license was suspended three times between 2008 and 2011 due to driving-related violations which Fox News obtained and reported on.
The FBI conducts background checks on judicial nominees, as is the usual procedure. Typically, reports are exchanged with the Senate Judiciary Committee, which is responsible for evaluating the nominee. In November, Blackburn and Hagerty voiced concerns about the nomination, claiming that the White House did not consult with them sufficiently.
In the letter obtained by Fox News, he outlines the events that led to his license suspension, assuring the committee that he understands driving is a privilege, not a right. Mathis wrote, “I treasure that privilege.” Although he has exceeded the speed limit on a few occasions in the past, he strives to maintain a clean driving record and does not believe he has gotten a traffic citation since 2014.
His assertion was supported by the Department of Motor Vehicles. However, Mathis responded to Durbin and Grassley that as part of the FBI’s probe into his background, a query about his driving record was filed to the Tennessee Department of Motor Vehicles.
Mathis also sat on the Magistrate Judge Merit Selection Panel for the US District Court for the Western District of Tennessee from 2010 to 2011, and again from 2019 to 2020. Mathis served on the Porter Goodwill Boys and Girls Club board of directors from 2008 to 2018, as well as the Tennessee Board of Professional Responsibility’s Disciplinary Hearing Committee from 2015 to 2021 and the Shelby County Ethics Commission from 2013 to 2017.
