President Trump announced his selection for the Supreme Court seat left vacant by Justice Anthony Kennedy.
The much-anticipated announcement has revealed that Brett Kavanaugh is the nominee.
President Trump described Kavanaugh as “a true thought leader among his peers.” He added that Kavanaugh is “one of the brightest and sharpest legal minds of our time.”
Brett Kavanaugh, 53, is a son of two lawyers and a graduate of Yale Law School. He clerked under the now-retiring Justice Kennedy, along with two other federal judges.
For two years, he served as Associate Counsel and Senior Associate Counsel to President George W. Bush. He then served as Assistant to the President and White House Staff Secretary. He was appointed by President Bush to the District of Columbia Circuit Court of Appeals in 2006.
Kavanaugh was a member of Kenneth Starr’s legal team that created the report used to guide former President Bill Clinton’s impeachment. He later wrote that presidents should be granted temporary protection from civil and criminal litigation in order to temporarily suspend lawsuits that detract from important Presidential issues.
Some of his notable rulings include deciding that illegal aliens are unlawful employees, corporations are prohibited from importing foreign workers, and foreign competitors must provide product labels identifying country of origin.
Kavanaugh has been criticized by some for his inside connections to Washington, as well as the Republican establishment. He is said to have “extensive ties to the Bush family,” as Politico reported.
Conservatives are concerned about his reliability on key issues like abortion and the Affordable Care Act. Kavanaugh has previously stated that he would uphold Roe v. Wade. His 2011 decision on the Affordable Care Act found that the law did not violate the Constitution, and is said to have laid the foundation for the law to be upheld.
On the other hand, liberals have voiced concern over Kavanaugh’s criticisms of Obama-era EPA rules. In 2012, he decided to reject an attempt by the EPA to curb interstate air pollution. He has also voiced support of public funding to religious schools, as well as upholding school vouchers.
A former law clerk of Kavanaugh said, “He’s very conservative. He’s a mainstream conservative in the mold of Justices like Gorsuch, Scalia, and Alito.” She added, “If he were nominated by the President and confirmed, he’d be a thought leader on the Supreme Court for decades to come.”
Earlier, a former law clerk to Judge Brett Kavanaugh joined @MelissaAFrancis to tell us more about who he is and what kind of Justice he would be
WATCH the interview here | https://t.co/3RWxlPLu34— Outnumbered Overtime (@OutnumberedOT) July 5, 2018
“There is no one in America more qualified for this position, and no one more deserving,” President Trump said of Kavanaugh on Monday night.
“This incredibly qualified nominee deserves swift nomination,” President Trump said, calling for bipartisan support.
Kavanaugh took the podium and praised the president. “No president has ever consulted more widely or talked with more people from more backgrounds to seek input about a Supreme Court nomination.”
“Mr. President, I am grateful to you and humbled by your confidence in me,” he added.
“Tomorrow, I begin meeting with members of the Senate,” Kavanaugh said. “If confirmed by the Senate, I will keep an open mind in every case, and I will always strive to preserve the Constitution of the United States, and the American rule of law.”
Kavanaugh was one of the names on President Trump’s notorious list of 25 potential Supreme Court candidates released on the campaign trail and later updated last year.
The President consulted advisors inside and outside the White House during his week-long deliberation. He reportedly asked his advisors which candidate was most similar to staunch conservative Justice Neil Gorsuch, who President Trump nominated last year.
Kavanaugh’s confirmation process is expected to be carried out swiftly, as President Trump’s past nominees have been confirmed within weeks.
The Supreme Court will reconvene in October, leaving sufficient time for a confirmation ahead of the November midterm elections.
