Supreme Court nominee Kavanaugh's confirmation hearings to start Sept. 4
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley meets with Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh on July 12./Office of Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, via Wikimedia Commons.
Confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh will begin on Sept. 4.
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, announced the date Friday, report the Hill, the Washington Post and the Wall Street Journal.
“Judge Kavanaugh is one of the most respected jurists in the country and one of the most qualified nominees ever to be considered by the Senate for a seat on our highest court,” Grassley said in his statement. “He’s a mainstream judge. He has a record of judicial independence and applying the law as it is written. It’s time for the American people to hear directly from Judge Kavanaugh at his public hearing.”
According to the Post, senators will give opening statements on the first day of the hearing. Kavanaugh will be questioned on Sept. 5. Other witnesses, including the ABA, will appear next.
Republicans hope to confirm Kavanaugh before the Supreme Court term begins in October. A quick confirmation would also come in advance of the midterm elections. Republicans currently have a 51-49 Senate majority.
Nan Aron, president of the Alliance for Justice, said in a statement that the hearing date “is jaw-dropping” because there won’t be enough time for the National Archives to review and release all of Kavanaugh’s records.
Carrie Severino, chief counsel and policy director for the Judicial Crisis Network, countered with a statement questioning the motivation for stated concerns about unreleased documents.
“Democrats have already announced that they oppose him, so this claim that they need more time or more documents is nothing more than a show, a fishing expedition designed to obstruct and create gridlock,” Severino said.
See also:
ABA Journal: “Kavanaugh memo in ‘98 urged independent counsel Starr not to pursue Clinton indictment while in office.”
ABA Journal: “Kavanaugh email shows offer to prepare ex-AG Ashcroft on attorney-client monitoring issue.”
ABA Journal: “Did Kavanaugh’s ‘one race’ assertion signal a vote against racial preferences?”
ABA Journal: “ABA committee to evaluate Trump’s Supreme Court pick.”
ABA Journal: “Kavanaugh praised Rehnquist’s stand against unenumerated rights in Roe v. Wade dissent.”
ABA Journal: “Meet Brett Kavanaugh, Trump’s nominee for the Supreme Court.”
