WASHINGTON, DC — Brett Kavanaugh is poised to face an aggressive grilling Wednesday morning from Senate Democrats as the lawmakers get their first crack at publicly questioning President Donald Trump’s pick to replace Justice Anthony Kennedy on the U.S. Supreme Court. Kavanaugh, a 53-year-old judge on the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals, will likely be asked about the powers of the president, his views on abortion, gun laws and health care on the second day of his confirmation hearing.
The Senate Judiciary Committee hearing is slated to begin around 9:30 a.m. EST and will reportedly last into Wednesday night. Each committee member has a half-hour to speak during the first round of questions, according to The Washington Post. The Senate will vote on Kavanaugh’s nomination later this month and The Post said he has good odds of being confirmed.
You can watch the hearing in its entirety above.
Tuesday’s hearing was highlighted by what GOP Sen. John Cornyn of Texas called “mob rule.” Right off the bat, multiple protesters — including actress Piper Perabo — were forcibly removed from the hearing. One demonstrator was reportedly carried out by the arms and feet and GOP senators faced a barrage of heckling throughout the day.
Hours before the hearing, Kavanaugh, a former aide to President George W. Bush, handed over about 42,000 pages of documents from his time in the White House — a move rebuked by Democratic Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, who said Monday that not one senator would have enough time to review the records before the hearing.
Democrats on the panel did not pull any punches. They let Kavanaugh know early and often that they would attempt to slow the process as much as possible. They moved to adjourn so they could consider the documents as protesters shouted in support. Democrats repeatedly protested that they weren’t given enough time to read the documents.
VIDEO: Protesters arrested in the hearing room for Kavanaugh’s confirmation hearing asking the hearing to end. pic.twitter.com/ZCTcuwq7qZ
— Frank Thorp V (@frankthorp) September 4, 2018
Also during the hearing, Kavanaugh called Kennedy “a mentor, friend and hero.” He told the panel he reveres the Constitution and reiterated he would keep an open mind on all cases if confirmed.
“My judicial philosophy is straightforward. A judge must be independent and must interpret the law, not make the law. A judge must interpret statutes as written. A judge must interpret the Constitution as written, informed by history and tradition and precedent,” he said.
Kavanaugh has a conservative record, top qualifications and deep connections to Republican legal groups, The New York Times previously reported. Democrats balked 15 years ago when Bush nominated him to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, saying he was too biased in favor of Republicans. He faced a tough confirmation hearing then but was ultimately confirmed three years later. He’ll surely face another tough hearing Tuesday.
Kavanaugh previously led the investigation that eventually resulted in President Bill Clinton’s impeachment. He was a lead author of the 1998 Starr Report, an investigative account of Clinton by Independent Counsel Kenneth Starr.
Kavanaugh has an originalist reputation similar to Justice Clarence Thomas and former Justice Antonin Scalia, meaning he tends to believe that government should be guided by the meaning of the Constitution as it was originally written. He has said he tries to abide by the saying “men for others.”
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