WASHINGTON (AP) — The bitterly polarized U.S. Senate narrowly confirmed Brett Kavanaugh on Saturday to join the Supreme Court, delivering an election-season triumph to President Donald Trump that could swing the court rightward for a generation after a battle that rubbed raw the country’s cultural, gender and political divides.
The near party-line vote was 50-48, capping a fight that seized the national conversation after claims emerged that Kavanaugh had sexually assaulted women three decades ago — which he emphatically denied. Those claims magnified the clash from a routine Supreme Court struggle over judicial ideology into an angrier, more complex jumble of questions about victims’ rights, the presumption of innocence and personal attacks on nominees.
Acrimonious to the end, the battle featured a climactic roll call that was interrupted several times by protesters in the Senate Gallery before Capitol Police removed them.
The vote gave Trump his second appointee to the court, tilting it further to the right and pleasing conservative voters who might have revolted against GOP leaders had Kavanaugh’s nomination flopped. Democrats hope that the roll call, exactly a month from elections in which House and Senate control are in play, will prompt infuriated women and liberals to stream to the polls to oust Republicans.
WHAT THEY SAID:
U.S. Rep. Chuck Fleischmann, R-Tenn. “I applaud my colleagues in the Senate for their vote to confirm Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the U.S. Supreme Court,” said Congressman Fleischmann. “Judge Kavanaugh’s judicial record speaks for itself with over 300 published opinions, 12 years as a federal court judge, and a total of 26 years of public service. However, even before the ink dried on Judge Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court nomination, his proven track record as a constitutionally-minded jurist quickly became overshadowed by divisive rhetoric and uncorroborated allegations. This vitriol highlighted a broken confirmation process, at the expense of an exceptionally qualified and highly respected individual. I have full confidence that as a Supreme Court Justice, Judge Brett Kavanaugh will preserve the fabric of our nation – the Constitution – by interpreting the law as written. I look forward to having Judge Brett Kavanaugh as the ninth Justice on the United States Supreme Court.” U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn. “I voted to confirm Judge Kavanaugh because of his 26 years of distinguished public service and his reputation as a superior jurist, lawyer and teacher. It would be fundamentally unfair and a dangerous precedent not to confirm him because of an uncorroborated alleged sexual assault 36 years ago. Between 1993 and 2018 the FBI interviewed nearly 150 persons in six separate background checks of Judge Kavanaugh. I have reviewed the results of these background checks. It appears that in every interview the FBI asked whether the interviewee was aware of alcohol or prescription drug abuse by Judge Kavanaugh. Not one person interviewed said they knew of such a problem or of inappropriate sexual behavior.” U.S. Rep. Diane Black, R-Tenn. “Judge Brett Kavanaugh is a highly qualified jurist & devoted public servant with an impeccable career – I have no doubt that he will faithfully uphold our nation’s Constitution & foundational principles to the fullest extent. I applaud his confirmation today to the #SupremeCourt!”