In the last administration, the Justice Department fought for the partial-birth-abortion ban in court. This administration looks to be something very different.

In this administration, David Ogden has been nominated for deputy attorney general. In a brief for the American Psychological Association in Planned Parenthood v. Casey, he wrote: “Abortion rarely causes or exacerbates psychological or emotional problems. When women do experience regret, depression, or guilt, such feelings are mild and diminish rapidly without adversely affecting general functioning. The few women who do experience negative psychological responses after abortion appear to be those with preexisting emotional problems ….”

(Someone should ask Michaelene Fredenburg about that. The women — and men — who’ve flocked to her abortionchangesyou website have somewhat different experiences.)

Ogden also wrote: “In sum, it is grossly misleading to tell a woman that abortion imposes possible detrimental psychological effects when the risks are negligible in most cases, when the evidence shows that she is more likely to experience feelings of relief and happiness, and when child-birth and child-rearing or adoption may pose concomitant (if not greater) risks or adverse psychological effects ….”

(This is that party of death Ramesh was talking about in that book he wrote.)

And if you look closer, the new Department of Justice looks it will have still deeper ties to grave injustice. Consider Dawn Johnsen. She’s the president’s pick to head the Office of Legal Counsel. She’s a former counsel to NARAL.

Or Thomas Perrelli, set to be an associate AG. He represented Michael Schiavo in … you know the case.

Or Ellen Kagan, Obama’s choice for solicitor general and what she considers “a moral injustice of the first order”: The Solomon Amendment. Read Ed Whelan for more.

Not everyone paid attention, but this president promised some pretty radical things (threats to conscience and religious liberty, nevermind issues of life and death) when he was running for president, and he’s putting a team in place that will be happy to get them done. With Eric Holder confirmed, I don’t pretend to think any of these nominees will be stopped. But Republicans ought to use these hearings to ask tough questions before it’s too late.