"Many have offered bigoted remarks in the past, really bigoted. They are not who a judge should be. A judge is supposed to be able to walk in the plaintiff's shoes and the defendant's shoes, and then come up with a decision that is governed by existing law. These people are ideologues," Schumer said.

Vitter, who served as the general counsel for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New Orleans, has come under intense scrutiny because of her previous comments on abortion. Vitter appeared at a rally opposing the construction of a Planned Parenthood clinic, where she accused the group of "killing over 150,000 females a year." At a 2013 conference Vitter appeared to back a brochure that linked abortions to breast cancer and taking birth control to an increased likelihood of violent relationships. "Go to Dr. Angela's website, Breast Cancer Prevention Institute, download it, and at your next physical, you walk into your pro-life doctor and say, 'Have you thought about putting these facts or this brochure in your waiting room?' Each one of you can be the pro-life advocate to take that next step. That's what you do with it," she said at the conference, according to NPR. Vitter pledged during her confirmation hearing that she wouldn't let her personal views influence her rulings on abortion-related cases, telling senators that she would "be bound by precedent."

“My religious, personal or political beliefs would have to be set aside. It is not something I would aspire to; it would be my duty and my obligation to do so, and I would do so without hesitation," she said.