The spotlight has been on him for several weeks.
In 2015, Matthew Kacsmaryk, a jurist with a Christian organization opposed to abortion, regretted that fetuses "
go after the erotic desires
" of adults.
Today a federal judge, he announced on Friday April 7 to suspend the marketing authorization in the United States for mifepristone (RU 486), the main abortion pill in the United States.
A few weeks ago, a coalition of anti-abortion activists filed a complaint in Amarillo, Texas, against the American Drug Administration (FDA), which they accuse of having authorized mifepristone more than 20 years ago.
Matthew Kacsmaryk, 45, being the only federal judge in this city, the file, which relates to a federal agency, had naturally landed on his desk.
And her profile immediately aroused cold sweats among defenders of the right to termination of pregnancy.
"
In a rational world, this complaint would be laughed off for multiple reasons
," said Jennifer Dalven of the ACLU, noting that mifepristone - which is used in combination with another pill - had been proven since the year 2000 its safety and effectiveness.
Despite everything, "
we are worried
" because the plaintiffs "
were able to select their judge
" and chose a "
radical
" magistrate, she added on the site of this rights organization.
What followed justified his concerns.
At the same time, the conservative ranks gave strong support to the magistrate.
"
Judge Kacsmaryk is the latest target of judicial intimidation
" and his "
only wrong is to have defended religious freedoms in court
,” wrote Carrie Severino, who heads the lobby Judicial Crisis Network.
Read alsoThe White House fears a “devastating” ban on abortion pills
Lawyer at the First Liberty Institute
Before being appointed federal judge by former Republican President Donald Trump in 2017, Matthew Kacsmaryk was indeed a lawyer with the First Liberty Institute, an organization that defends the views of the religious right in court.
She has thus represented, for example, pastry chefs who, in the name of their Christian faith, did not want to make a wedding cake for a homosexual couple, or even a sports coach in a public school who was fired after praying with students.
In this post, Matthew Kacsmaryk decried the historic Supreme Court decision to legalize same-sex marriage and opposed transgender people's use of the toilets of the sex with which they identify.
In an article published in 2015, he decried the "
sexual revolution (...) advocated by atheistic libertarians
", for whom "
marriage, sexuality, gender, identity and even the child come after desires adults
”.
“
He is exactly where he should be
”
Jennifer Griffith, his sister.
During his confirmation process in the Senate - competent in the United States to endorse the judges chosen by the presidents - he was roughed up by the Democrats.
"
Mr. Kacsmaryk has shown a hostility towards the LGBTQ community that borders on paranoia
," said Senator Chuck Schumer in particular.
He swore that once in office, he would judge impartially without letting his convictions influence his decisions.
Since taking office in Amarillo, he has mostly handled common law cases.
But he proved President Joe Biden's administration wrong in a migration case and right a father who attacked a federal program funding the contraception of minors without their parents' consent.
His sister, whom he helped when she gave birth at the age of 17 to a child placed for adoption, felt that he was the right person to settle the mifepristone case.
“
It is made for that
,” said Jennifer Griffith, who remains opposed to abortion, in an interview with the Washington Post.
"
He is exactly where he needs to be
."
