Republicans. The Republicans countered that Conrad, himself a Catholic, had merely criticized Prejean for "the near total contempt [she] displayed for the Roman Catholic Church." In short, Conrad was defending the Catholic Church from the anti-Catholic comments he believed the nun to have made. Separately, People for the American Way argued that Judge Conrad's short tenure on the district court had not served to put to rest the concerns raised by his pre-judicial record. To the contrary, this activist group stated that he "'consistently ruled against plaintiffs alleging employment discrimination,' he appear[ed] hostile to the rights of criminal defendants, and, sitting by designation on the Fourth Circuit, he joined an anti-environmental ruling overturning a district court decision that the Army Corps of Engineers had violated the Clean Water Act in approving a permit for the discharge of material from mountain-top mining." Supporters of Judge Conrad responded by citing Judge Conrad’s life-long commitment to public service, the support of both home state Senators, his well-qualified ABA rating, and the fact that the Senate had unanimously confirmed him twice before (as U.S. Attorney and United States District Court Judge) as evidence to belie any concerns mounted by these opposition groups. His advocates also noted Attorney General Reno’s commendation of Conrad as “one of the most respected career prosecutors in the Department of Justice.” Nonetheless, Conrad would never get a hearing in the Democratic-controlled Senate, and his nomination lapsed with the end of the Bush administration. President Barack Obama chose to nominate James A. Wynn Jr. to the seat in 2009. Advocacy Teacher Judge Conrad has shown a commitment to excellence in trial advocacy. He has been a member of the faculty of the National Trial Advocacy College at the University of Virginia School of Law,—"the country's premier trial advocacy program for lawyers"—since 2000. In 2015, Judge Conrad received the prestigious William J. Brennan Award from the National Trial Advocacy College. The Brennan Award was established in 1987, with Justice Brennan's unsurpassed contributions to the United States legal system and, in particular, to the enhancement of trial advocacy skills. The honorees – judges, public officials, and private practitioners – are selected on the basis of 1) their outstanding skills as trial lawyers and members of the judiciary, and 2) their outstanding contributions to advocacy education and to the legal profession. Conrad also is an adjunct professor at Wake Forest School of Law, and