The left’s long march to destroy the concept of religious liberty continues apace in America. On Wednesday, Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) blasted Michael Bogren, President Trump’s nominee to the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan, for his statements comparing Catholics who believe in traditional marriage to the Ku Klux Klan and radical Islam.

Bogren, a lawyer for East Lansing, Mich., made what appear to be bigoted statements in briefs on behalf of the city, arguing that a Catholic apple orchard owner could be denied a vendor’s license to sell his fruit at a local farmer’s market because he refuses to allow gay weddings to be performed on his property.

U.S. District Judge Paul L. Maloney denied East Lansing’s request to dismiss the 2017 discrimination lawsuit brought by Country Mill Farms owner Steve Tennes, ruling that the plaintiffs “have pled sufficient facts to state a plausible claim for violations of the Michigan Constitution.” The city did not appeal the ruling.