On June 11, 2012, President Obama nominated William Orrick III to be a United States District Judge for the United States District Court for the Northern District of California. Orrick was a “huge Democratic donor” and bundler for President Obama, raising at least $200,000 for Obama and donated $30,800 to committees supporting him. He had been recommended by Planned-Parenthood cheerleader Sen. Barbara Boxer.
The Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing on his nomination on July 11, 2012, and reported it to the floor on August 2, 2012. On January 2, 2013, his nomination was returned to the President, due to the adjournment sine die of the Senate.
On January 3, 2013, Orrick was renominated to the same office. His nomination was reported by the Senate Judiciary Committee on February 28, 2013, by a vote of 11 ayes to 7 nays, mostly along party lines, except that Republican Senator Jeff "lousy judge of character" Flake voted aye.
On May 13, 2013, the Senate confirmed Orrick’s nomination. Jeff Flake again crossed party lines to join 2 of the most liberal Republicans to vote for Orrick: Sen. Susan Collins (Maine) and Lisa Murkowski (Alaska). Click HERE to see the roll call.
On Friday, July 31, Judge William Orrick granted a temporary restraining order against the release of recordings made at an annual meeting of abortion providers. The injunction is against the Center for Medical Progress, the group that has unveiled Planned Parenthood’s participation in the sale of organs harvested from aborted children.
Judge William H. Orrick, III, granted the injunction just hours after the order was requested by the National Abortion Federation.
Even though the National Abortion Federation filed its claim only hours before, Orrick quickly decided in their favor that the abortionists they represent would, ironically, be “likely to suffer irreparable injury, absent an ex parte temporary restraining order, in the form of harassment, intimidation, violence, invasion of privacy, and injury to reputation, and the requested relief is in the public interest.”
Thus far the videos have featured born-alive humans discussing the killing of what abortion providers themselves call “babies,” the “crushing” of their bodies and harvesting of their organs for sale to for-profit companies. Obama Appointee and Bundler Blocks More Video Releases by Group Behind Planned Parenthood Sting
David Daleiden, the journalist behind the Center for Medical Progress videos, told CNN earlier today that the reason why Stem Express filed suit against release of a video of their meeting with him is because they admitted to receiving fully intact fetuses from abortion clinics. Daleiden said those conversations may have shown “prima facie evidence of born-alive infants.” Blocked videos may prove aborted babies were born alive before organ harvesting, says Daleiden
The Center for Medical Progress responded to the injunction:
"The Center for Medical Progress follows all applicable laws in the course of our investigative journalism work. The National Abortion Federation is a criminal organization that has spent years conspiring with Planned Parenthood on how to violate federal laws on partial-birth abortion and fetal tissue sales. The Center for Medical Progress will contest any attempts to suppress our First Amendment rights to free speech or silence the freedom of the citizen press."
See Also:
Abortion Explained: Dr. Joseph DeCook.
Human Capital – Episode 1: Planned Parenthood’s Black Market in Baby Parts
Summary videos of specific undercover meetings from Center for Medical Progress’s Human Capital project documenting Planned Parenthood’s sale of baby body parts. Full footage for each encounter is also available.