Mitch McConnell finally returned to Senate — to cast the deciding vote for an anti-trans judge

Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell returned to the Senate floor for the first time since June — so he could confirm an anti-LGBTQ+ judge.The former Republican Majority Leader, who was hospitalized for months after a June health incident — all while right-wing influencer Laura Loomer claimed a White House sources was telling her McConnell was brain-dead — has been the subject of internet speculation. He offered a proof-of-life photo in July to verify he was still recovering from a health incident, but continued an extended absence from the Senate continued until a Senate vote on Monday.Related: Blame Mitch McConnell if you’re scared and angryWhat drew the aging lawmaker back to the floor? A vote to advance the appointment by President Donald Trump of Matthew R. Byrne as a U.S. District Judge for the Southern District of Ohio. A cloture vote passed by a single “yea,” with McConnell in favor.As an Ohio appellate judge, Byrne wrote an opinion siding with parents who rejected their child’s trans identity. In March 2026, he wrote an opinion for the 12th Appellate District of Ohio involving a custody case with parents who were addicted to substances and were refusing to use they/them pronouns with a 14-year-old child who said they had gender dysphoria. In the opinion, Byrne wrote that a parent’s refusal to use pronouns or accept a different gender identity could not contribute to any state decision on custody.Related: Mitch McConnell’s staffers offer peculiar proof of life after Lindsey Graham’s death“Though not stated explicitly, there is some suggestion in the state’s brief and in the juvenile court’s permanent custody decision that Mother and Father were unfit as parents because they both were initially reluctant to embrace (the child’s) announcement that she was transgender and/or using male pronouns,” Byrne wrote for the court. “We disagree. There is no requirement in Ohio law that parents must unquestioningly accept and support their minor