Dems Vow to Do All They Can to Oppose Kavanaugh

GOP prepares for showdown over nominee
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Jul 10, 2018 5:52 AM CDT
Updated Jul 10, 2018 7:08 AM CDT
Showdown Looms Over Kavanaugh Nomination
Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., speaks in front of the Supreme Court in Washington, Monday, July 9, 2018, after President Donald Trump announced Judge Brett Kavanaugh as his Supreme Court nominee..   (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)

President Trump has unveiled his Supreme Court nominee—and the stage is set for yet another highly partisan Washington showdown. Brett Kavanaugh, who serves on the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, tried to portray himself as an ally of women in his remarks Monday night, referring to his wife, two daughters, and his mother, a former prosecutor and judge in Maryland, the Washington Post reports. Democrats, however, made it clear that they would target his views on abortion and contraception, among other issues, as they fought the nomination. "I will oppose Judge Kavanaugh’s nomination with everything I have," said Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer. Republican Sen. Orrin Hatch promised to "lift heaven and Earth" to see Kavanaugh confirmed. A roundup of coverage:

  • Make or break. USA Today looks at six moderate senators—two Republicans and four Democrats—who could make or break Kavanaugh's nomination. Among them is Alaska's Sen. Lisa Murkowski, a Republican who supports abortion rights and has promised to cast an "independent" vote on any nominee to replace swing court vote Justice Anthony Kennedy. It will take a simple majority in the Senate to confirm Kavanaugh.

  • A life spent in the Beltway. The AP, in a look at Kavanaugh's background, notes that he was born inside the Beltway and has spent almost his entire life there, becoming the "embodiment of the Republican legal establishment." After graduating from Yale, Kavanaugh clerked for Kennedy before joining Ken Starr's legal team during the Bill Clinton administration and later serving the George W. Bush administration.
  • 2020 contenders speak out. Democrats seen as contenders for the White House in 2020, including Sens. Cory Booker, Kirsten Gillibrand, and Kamala Harris, denounced the choice of Kavanaugh on Monday night, the Hill reports. Sen. Bernie Sanders also spoke out, saying, "We're going to do everything we can to prevent" Kavanaugh being seated.
  • Praise from conservatives. After the announcement, Kavanaugh was praised by conservatives satisfied with his record. "On what is commonly regarded as the second-most-important court in the country, he has confronted a vast array of consequential constitutional and statutory issues and has written strong, influential opinions," writes Ed Whelan at the National Review.

  • A liberal supporter. At the New York Times, Yale Law School professor Akhil Reed Amar offers a spirited defense of his former student, describing him as somebody who "commands wide and deep respect among scholars, lawyers and jurists." Amar, who stresses that he was a Hillary Clinton supporter who would have liked to have seen Merrick Garland confirmed, argues that it would be a mistake for Democrats to "sour the hearings by attacking Judge Kavanaugh and looking to complicate the proceedings whenever possible."
  • Kavanaugh's positions. Ann Marimow at the Washington Post takes a look at Kavanaugh's positions on numerous issues. One that may have helped Trump make his mind up: University of Texas law professor Stephen Vladec describes the judge as "an unrelenting, unapologetic defender of presidential power."
  • It was always going to be Kavanaugh. Sources tell Politico that although Trump tried to build suspense around the decision, he had been focusing on Kavanaugh ever since the private meeting in which Kennedy told him he was retiring. The sources say that of the other candidates Trump interviewed, socially conservative Amy Coney Barrett might be the strongest contender if he has a chance to fill a third Supreme Court seat.
(More Brett Kavanaugh stories.)

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