Join Our Volunteer Elections Team
Help turn values into votes by mobilizing voters and electing reproductive freedom champions up and down the ballot.
Reproductive Rights Profiles
Matthew Byrne’s Record Against Reproductive Freedom
We strongly oppose judge Matthew Byrne, Trump's Pick for the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio
Key Takeaways
- Reproductive Freedom for All strongly opposes Matthew Byrne, Trump's Pick for the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit
- Reproductive Freedom for All opposes his nomination due to his professional and personal commitment to undermining reproductive freedom.
- + Read More
- Trump has a deeply troubling track record of nominating judges who oppose reproductive freedom, reflecting the Trump administration’s vision for courts that are hostile to the basic reproductive rights and freedoms for all.
Who is Matthew Byrne?
Byrne’s record demonstrates his professional and personal commitment to undermining reproductive freedom.
As a judge on the Ohio Twelfth District Court of Appeals in 2023, Byrne was the only judge on a seven-judge panel who objected to dismissing a case defending Ohio’s ban on abortion before most people know they are pregnant. The decision to dismiss the case followed the majority of Ohio voters’ decision to pass a ballot measure to protect the right to abortion in the state’s constitution.
His anti-abortion views extend beyond his professional record.
During his time as a college student, Byrne published his anti-reproductive freedom views in a local newspaper, making false, inflammatory claims about Reproductive Freedom for All (then known as NARAL-Pro Choice America).
He also has several longstanding affiliations with anti-reproductive freedom organizations, including Ohio Right to Life, Cincinnati Right to Life, Warren County Right to Life, the Center for Christian Virtue, and the Federalist Society. He also served as an advisory board member of an anti-abortion center in Ohio.
Dive Deeper: Matthew Byrne’s Anti-Repro Record
Objected to State Constitutional Abortion Protections
Byrne contested the Ohio Supreme Court majority’s decision to dismiss a case defending Ohio’s six-week abortion ban. In 2023, the court dropped the abortion ban case after a majority of Ohio voters passed a constitutional amendment protecting the right to abortion. Byrne was the only judge on the seven-judge panel who objected to the dismissal and advocated for the court to proceed with considering the state’s ban.
Opposition to Reproductive Freedom
Byrne’s anti-reproductive freedom views extend back to his college years. During his time as a student at Xavier University, Byrne publicized his anti-reproductive freedom views in a local newspaper. Byrne wrote inflammatory and erroneous comments about Reproductive Freedom for All, previously NARAL-Pro Choice America, falsely alleging that our organization’s support of abortion rights and access is akin to advocating for murder.
Affiliations with Anti-Reproductive Freedom Organizations
As a 2020 judicial candidate for the Ohio Twelfth District Court of Appeals, Byrne completed the Ohio Right to Life PAC Confidential Personal Opinion Survey where he affirmed his anti-abortion beliefs.
As part of this confidential survey, Byrne lists his contributions to numerous anti-abortion organizations between 2016 to 2020.
Byrne is a member of Cincinnati Right to Life, where he served as an informal advisor from 2014 to 2018.
Cincinnati Right to Life is an affiliate of The National Right to Life Committee (NRLC) through their membership to Ohio Right to Life.
NRLC is an influential anti-abortion group that has propagated disinformation regarding abortion care and promotes legislation that would criminalize abortion care providers.
NRLC has launched numerous attacks on medication abortion, with the goal of making it unnecessarily burdensome for people to receive safe and effective healthcare.
Byrne served as an informal advisor to the Center for Christian Virtue from 2014 to 2018.
Center for Christian Virtue, formerly Citizens for Community Values, is an anti-abortion organization funded by the Heritage Foundation that has endorsed anti-abortion legislation in Ohio.
In 2025, Center for Christian Virtue was designated an Anti-LGBTQ+ Hate Group by the Southern Poverty Law Center.
Byrne also served as an informal advisor to Warren County Right to Life from 2014 to 2018.
Warren County Right to Life is a local anti-abortion organization that partners with other anti-abortion organizations, such as Cincinnati Right to Life, to promote anti-abortion conversations through community engagement.
Byrne served as a Committee and Advisory Board Member or Pregnancy Center Plus from 2015 to 2019.
Pregnancy Center Plus is an anti-abortion center in Ohio. Anti-abortion centers are known for using deceptive tactics to draw individuals to the centers and for providing medically inaccurate information regarding pregnancy and reproductive health.
Bryne has been a member of the Federalist Society since 2004.
The Federalist Society is a well-funded, conservative legal network that exerts influence through law schools, professional networks, conferences, and over the judiciary at large.
It serves as a talent and influence pipeline for the conservative movement to help cultivate young lawyers and pack the courts with judges who will execute their unpopular agenda.
Career
- Bachelor of Arts, Xavier University, 2003
- Juris Doctor, The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law, 2007
- Staff Assistant, The White House, Executive Office of the President, Office of Presidential Personnel, 2004
- Associate, Taft Stettinius & Hollister, LLP, 2007-2010
- Jackson Lewis P.C., 2010-2020
- Associate, 2010-2016
- Of Counsel, 2016-2020
- Ohio Twelfth District Court of Appeals, 2021-present
- Judge, 2021-present
- Administrative Judge, 2024-2025
- Presiding Judge, 2026-present
Matthew Byrne's Record Against LGBTQIA+ Equality
As a judge on the Ohio Twelfth District Court of Appeals, Byrne demonstrated his anti-LGBTQIA+ views, when he intentionally misgendered a transgender child in a custody proceeding, invalidating their gender identity and promoting anti-transgender ideology.
The Big Picture
Trump has a deeply troubling track record of nominating judges who oppose reproductive freedom, reflecting the Trump administration’s vision for courts that are hostile to the basic reproductive rights and freedoms for all.
Decisions made by these judges will impact our health, access to care, and daily lives, and we deserve to know whether these nominees are committed to fairness and equality under the law or if they are beholden to an ideology or agenda opposing reproductive freedom.
Citations and Sources
- Matthew Byrne, Questionnaire for Judicial Nominees, United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary (May 28, 2026).
- Preterm-Cleveland v. Yost, 178 Ohio St.3d 1 (Ohio 2023).
- + Read More
- Preterm-Cleveland, et al., v. Yost, No. A2203203 (Hamilton County, Ohio Oct. 24, 2024).
- Matthew Byrne, Attachment Package for Question 12(a) of the Questionnaire for Judicial Nominees, p. 632, United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary (May 28, 2026).
- Matthew Byrne, Attachment Package for Question 12(c) of the Questionnaire for Judicial Nominees, p. 786-788, United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary (May 28, 2026).
- Matthew Byrne, Attachment Package for Question 12(c) of the Questionnaire for Judicial Nominees, p. 794, United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary (May 28, 2026).
- Matthew Byrne, Questionnaire for Judicial Nominees, P. 6, United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary (May 28, 2026).
- National Right to Life Committee (NRLC): The Group Behind Extremist Anti-Abortion Legislation, Reproductive Freedom for All, (Jun. 3, 2026), https://reproductivefreedomforall.org/resources/national-right-to-life-committee-nrlc-the-group-behind-extremist-anti-abortion-laws/.
- Matthew Byrne, Questionnaire for Judicial Nominees, P. 6, United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary (May 28, 2026).
- Victoria Moorwood and Jessie Balmert, ‘They’re relentless.’ How a Christian group turns beliefs into bills, The Cincinnati Enquirer, (Dec. 15, 2025), https://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/politics/2025/12/14/how-center-for-christian-virtue-lobbies-ohio-statehouse/86181115007/.
- Anti-LGBTQ, Southern Poverty Law Center, https://www.splcenter.org/resources/extremist-files/anti-lgbtq/#2025-anti-lgbtq-hate-groups.
- Matthew Byrne, Questionnaire for Judicial Nominees, P. 8, United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary (May 28, 2026).
- In re S.B., 2026 WL 788895, at *16 n.7 (Ohio App. 12 Dist., 2026).
Fight back against anti-abortion extremism with us
Add Your Name: We Need Court Reform!
Sign the petition in support of court reform efforts, including court expansion and investigations into ethics of justices, to restore the legitimacy of our judicial system.
Commit to Being a Repro Freedom Advocate
It's going to take all of us to win back our freedom. Add your name today to commit to fighting for reproductive freedom.
Tell Congress to Protect Our Reproductive Freedom
Send a message now to tell your U.S. Senators and Representative that reproductive freedom is a top priority for you—and that you're part of a nationwide movement that votes.
Further Reading on Anti-Abortion Extremism
Profiles Reproductive Rights
Daniel Domenico’s Record Against Reproductive Freedom
Profiles Reproductive Rights
Angela Colmenero’s Record Against Reproductive Freedom
Profiles Reproductive Rights