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Kavanaugh Hearing Proceeds As Democrats' Objections Are Overruled

Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh appears before the Senate Judiciary Committee during his Supreme Court confirmation hearing on September 4 in Washington, DC.
Drew Angerer/Getty Images
Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh appears before the Senate Judiciary Committee during his Supreme Court confirmation hearing on September 4 in Washington, DC.

The confirmation hearing for President Trump’s latest Supreme Court nominee, Brett Kavanaugh, started with a bang as Democrats asked Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, for a delay. Reportedly, 22 people were arrested in the Capitol for disrupting the hearing.

Tuesday was mainly for opening statements, and the crux of the questioning will start on Wednesday.

Many court observers do think that Kavanaugh’s nomination is a slam dunk. Supporters point to his sterling conservative credentials. He has the backing of The Federalist Society and the Heritage Foundation. Other surprising voices have also emerged in support of Kavanaugh, like Lisa Blatt, a self-described “liberal feminist lawyer.”

Writing for Politico, Blatt says:

I have argued 35 cases before the Supreme Court, more than any other woman. I worked in the Solicitor General’s Office for 13 years during the Clinton, Bush and Obama administrations. Because I am a liberal Democrat and feminist, I expect my friends on the left will criticize me for speaking up for Kavanaugh. But we all benefit from having smart, qualified and engaged judges on our highest court, regardless of the administration that nominates them.

But everyone will focus on Kavanaugh’s attitudes toward executive power, gun control, health care, and especially abortion — although Senator Susan Collins, R-Maine, said Kavanaugh told her he believes Roe v. Wade is “settled precedent.”

Could there be a window for his nomination to get blocked?

— Asma Khalid (@asmamk) September 4, 2018

Here’s part of what’s at stake for critics of Kavanaugh’s nomination, according to writer Moira Donegan.

— Moira Donegan (@MoiraDonegan) September 4, 2018

And Democrats are finding it hard to forget the context of this nomination.

— carl hulse (@hillhulse) September 4, 2018

As Kavanaugh prepares to face tough questions from the Senate, we consider what impact will he could have on America’s history, its law and its politics.

Produced by Stef Collett. Text by Gabrielle Healy.

GUESTS

Robert Barnes, Supreme Court correspondent, Washington Post; @scotusreporter

Adam White, Research fellow at the Hoover Institution; director of the Center for the Study of the Administrative State at George Mason University’s Antonin Scalia Law School.

Michael Waldman, President of the Brennan Center for Justice at the NYU School of Law; former speechwriter and aide to President Bill Clinton; @mawaldman

Emily Bazelon, Staff writer, The New York Times Magazine; Truman Capote fellow at the Yale Law School; @emilybazelon

For more, visit https://the1a.org.

© 2018 WAMU 88.5 – American University Radio.

Copyright 2018 WAMU 88.5

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