09.06.18

Cantwell Statement on Judge Brett Kavanaugh’s Nomination to U.S. Supreme Court

WASHINGTON D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) released the following statement regarding President Donald Trump’s nomination of Judge Brett Kavanaugh to serve on the United States Supreme Court, after his nomination hearings before the Senate Judiciary Committee:

“As a United States Senator, it is my responsibility to thoroughly review lifetime appointments to the U.S. Supreme Court. I take this responsibility to provide advice and consent very seriously. When President Trump nominated Judge Brett Kavanaugh, I owed it to my constituents to review his full record. After having done so, I oppose his confirmation.

“In 2006, I voted against the confirmation of Mr. Kavanaugh to serve as a judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit because I had concerns his judicial philosophy might have been outside the mainstream. His record on the D.C. Circuit Court affirmed those concerns for me.

“Since he was confirmed to serve on that court, Judge Kavanaugh refused to uphold the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act, ruled against workers’ rights in favor of corporate interests, would have struck down protections under the Clean Air Act and efforts to fight climate change, dissented from a decision that allowed an undocumented minor held in government custody to exercise her right to access abortion care, ruled in favor of a restrictive voter identification law, supported expanded warrantless surveillance, and maintained that the FCC’s net neutrality rule was unconstitutional.

“Additionally, in his hearing, Judge Kavanaugh would not answer whether he believes Roe v. Wade was rightly decided and failed to assure senators he would not erode its critical protections. And while he now claims Roe is settled law, his previous assertions while he worked at the Bush White House raise serious questions.

“The U.S. Supreme Court also serves as an important check on presidential power. In his hearing, Judge Kavanaugh refused to say whether a president could pardon himself or respond to a subpoena. In the past, he has questioned whether a president can be criminally indicted while in office and argued that the president should be able to fire special counsels without cause. His views raise fundamental questions about whether he will uphold the Court’s role in our constitutional system of checks and balances at this critical time in our nation’s history.  No one is above the law – especially the president.”

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