WASHINGTON (AP) – Judge Brett Kavanaugh has a long record of judicial and executive branch service to recommend him as President Donald Trump’s nominee to the Supreme Court. And that’s part of the problem in getting him confirmed by the Senate.
Democrats are demanding to see the conservative appellate court judge’s lengthy paper trail before they even start meeting with him, let alone casting their votes on a lifetime appointment that could shift the court rightward.
The documents extend far beyond the 53-year-old’s nearly 300 rulings as a judge on the circuit court of appeals.
The Democrats are demanding access to paperwork from Kavanaugh’s tenure as staff secretary in the George W. Bush White House, on the 2000 election presidential recount and on Special Counsel Kenneth Starr’s probe of Bill Clinton. The tally could stretch at least 1 million pages. The paper chase has become a game of high-stakes political strategy.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell wants to have Kavanaugh confirmed for the start of the Supreme Court session Oct. 1 and to serve up a midterm election boost for Republicans in November. But the Democratic search for documents could complicate that timeline.