Two factors animate U.S. Appeals Court Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh’s crucial Supreme Court confirmation hearings that begin Tuesday in the Senate: one is the justice he would succeed, and the other is the president who chose him. [Supreme Court nominee argues president should not be distracted by lawsuits]“This is an appointment that almost certainly will change the ideological makeup of the court in a meaningful way,” said Lori A. Ringhand, a University of Georgia law professor with an expertise in Supreme Court confirmation hearings. [Kavanaugh has negotiated his way through Washington scandals]“I don’t see him as remotely controversial,” said Lisa S. Blatt, a Washington lawyer who regularly argues before the Supreme Court and considers Kavanaugh a friend. “I’ve been on the Judiciary Committee for the last fourteen Supreme Court confirmation hearings,” Sen. Orrin G. Hatch (R-Utah) said in a speech last week. “Your previous statements give me serious pause: an expansive view of presidential power held by a Supreme Court Justice occupying Justice Kennedy’s seat would undoubtedly mark a significant shift from our historical understandings and Supreme Court jurisprudence recognizing constitutional limits on the executive,” Sen. Christopher A. Coons (D-Del.)

Source: Washington Post September 01, 2018 22:01 UTC