Trump nominates Brett Kavanaugh to US Supreme Court, Democrats outraged
President Donald Trump has nominated Brett Kavanaugh to the US Supreme Court. Democrats are alarmed that he will overturn rulings about abortion and same-sex marriage.
If approved, Kavanaugh would fill the seat vacated by Justice Anthony Kennedy, who announced his retirement last month.
To be successfully confirmed, Kavanaugh needs 51 votes in the Senate. Republicans currently hold a 51-49 majority, but Senator John McCain (R-Arizona) is battling brain cancer and is unlikely to be present for a vote. Vice President Mike Pence can break a tie, but even a single Republican breaking with the party would hold up the nomination, assuming the Democrats are unanimous in opposition.
Protesters were apparently ready to demonstrate here no matter who was picked. #StopKavanaugh signs were already printed up before President Trump made the #SupremeCourt announcement at 9pm pic.twitter.com/tKdseTq7xq
— Tom Fitzgerald (@FitzFox5DC) July 10, 2018
I will oppose Judge Kavanaugh’s nomination with everything I have, and I hope a bipartisan majority will do the same. The stakes are simply too high for anything less. Read my full statement on #WhatsAtStake: https://t.co/BYtcB3LWWB#StopKavanaughpic.twitter.com/5f2Bomxltb
— Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) July 10, 2018
Trump’s Supreme Court Justice nominee, Judge Kavanaugh, represents a direct and fundamental threat to the rights and health care of hundreds of millions of Americans. I will oppose his nomination to the Supreme Court. #SCOTUSpick
— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) July 10, 2018
Kavanaugh was on the shortlist of nominees along with Thomas Hardiman, Raymond Kethledge and Amy Coney Barrett.
The Supreme Court nominee @realDonaldTrump will announce tonight will have an impact on a woman’s right to choose for generations to come. He said overturning #RoeVsWade “will happen automatically” during his presidency. We can’t let that happen. #WhatsAtStake
— Nancy Pelosi (@NancyPelosi) July 9, 2018
When you pre-write your press release slamming Trump’s SCOTUS pick but forget to add the name.... pic.twitter.com/5GiEJXMHUR
— Alex Pappas (@AlexPappas) July 10, 2018
The 53-year-old, who was the White House Staff Secretary under George W Bush, has served as a United States Circuit Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit for the past 12 years.
Favored by many Republicans for his work with Solicitor General Ken Starr to impeach President Bill Clinton in the 1990s, the Yale graduate also appears to have many critics. Some Republicans, as well as the Democrats, view Kavanaugh's previous rulings on abortion and health care cases as way too conservative, claiming that they violate the rights of many people in American society.
“His nomination should be a non-starter for every member of the Senate concerned about the integrity of the special counsel's investigation and worried about the Court undermining the rights of women to make their own medical decisions; civil rights; the rights of Americans to quality, affordable healthcare; voting rights; the rights of workers to organize for better wages and working conditions; and more,” Senator Cory Booker (D-New Jersey) said in a statement on Monday.
Other controversial topics include net neutrality and the judge’s belief that criminal investigations should not involve active presidents, a clear problem for some lawmakers amid Robert Mueller’s ongoing probe into Trump’s alleged collusion with Russia.
“President Trump is currently a subject of an ongoing criminal investigation, and any nomination of a Supreme Court justice while that investigation continues is unacceptable because of the clear conflict of interest inherent in the President installing someone who could be the deciding vote on a number of potential issues from that investigation that could come before the Court,” Booker added.
“Democrats in the Senate should use every tool at their disposal to stop Judge Kavanaugh from being confirmed. This is a fight worth having,” Rep. David Cicilline (D-Rhode Island) tweeted, expressing what appears to be a widely shared view among lawmakers.
Rep Cicilline: “Democrats in the Senate should use every tool at their disposal to stop Judge Kavanaugh from being confirmed. This is a fight worth having.”
— Cicilline Press Office (@RepCicilline) July 10, 2018
Meanwhile, Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-California) claimed that Kavanaugh stands “outside the mainstream” when it comes to dealing with healthcare, executive power, privacy and even gun safety. “We need a nominee who understands that the court must protect the rights of all Americans, not just political interest groups and the powerful,” she tweeted.
Brett Kavanaugh's views are far outside the mainstream when it comes to health care, executive power, privacy and gun safety. We need a nominee who understands that the court must protect the rights of all Americans, not just political interest groups and the powerful. #SCOTUS
— Sen Dianne Feinstein (@SenFeinstein) July 10, 2018
At the same time, Rep. Alcee Hastings (D-Florida) called Trump’s nomination a “shameful effort” to roll back the progress that has been made in the US when it comes to civil liberties.
The nomination of Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the #SupremeCourt is President Trump’s latest shameful effort to further roll back the progress we have made on voting rights, workers’ rights, women’s rights, civil rights, clean air and water, gun control, healthcare, and so much more. pic.twitter.com/wdVmcEj1Bm
— Alcee L. Hastings (@RepHastingsFL) July 10, 2018
While Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing will take place in the fall, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell already warned Trump that his nominee might have a difficult confirmation battle over the other shortlisted candidates.
Yet, following Trump's nomination, McConnell called on his colleagues “to put partisanship aside and consider his legal qualifications with the fairness, respect, and seriousness that a Supreme Court nomination ought to command.”
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