What to watch for as hearings for Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh begin
Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh is set for a week of marathon hearings before the Judiciary Committee, where senators will drill down into the judge바카라 게임 웹사이트s background, writings and legal philosophy.
Republicans who mostly back President Donald Trump바카라 게임 웹사이트s pick are focusing on Kavanaugh바카라 게임 웹사이트s 12-year career as an appellate court judge, which has produced more than 300 opinions. Democrats are expected to take a more pointed tack, grilling the 53-year-old conservative on hot-button issues that could swing the court바카라 게임 웹사이트s majority rightward.
Four days of hearings begin Tuesday. Democratic leader Chuck Schumer fumed Monday night over the committee receiving more than 42,000 pages of documents about Kavanaugh바카라 게임 웹사이트s years with the Bush administration the night before the hearings get underway. He called for a delay until Kavanaugh바카라 게임 웹사이트s records could be reviewed.
바카라 게임 웹사이트This underscores just how absurd this process is,바카라 게임 웹사이트 Schumer said in a tweet. 바카라 게임 웹사이트Not a single senator will be able to review these records before tomorrow.바카라 게임 웹사이트 Democrats have argued for weeks that Kavanaugh바카라 게임 웹사이트s Bush administration records weren바카라 게임 웹사이트t being provided for review to the fullest extent possible.
Issues to watch as the battle over Kavanaugh바카라 게임 웹사이트s confirmation unfolds:
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ROE V. WADE
Among the most consequential questions of the hearings is whether Kavanaugh바카라 게임 웹사이트s confirmation could alter the landmark 1973 case that solidified abortion rights.
Kavanaugh has said publicly, and in private talks with senators, that he believes the case is settled law. But he has not said if it was correctly decided. Democrats want to unpack his legal thinking for a fuller understanding of his views. Kavanaugh바카라 게임 웹사이트s answers will be critical in winning the backing from two key swing votes, Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, who are alone among Senate Republicans in publicly supporting access to abortion.
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EXECUTIVE POWER
Despite working on Kenneth Starr바카라 게임 웹사이트s team investigating President Bill Clinton, Kavanaugh has long held that sitting presidents should be shielded from intrusive probes. It바카라 게임 웹사이트s an expansive view of executive power. And it바카라 게임 웹사이트s particularly important now, amid special counsel Robert Mueller바카라 게임 웹사이트s investigation of the 2016 election. Trump complains that the investigation is a 바카라 게임 웹사이트witch hunt바카라 게임 웹사이트 and he wants it to come to an end.
Kavanaugh is expected to be grilled over key legal questions like: Can the president be subpoenaed to appear before Mueller? Is the president immune from prosecution?
바카라 게임 웹사이트It is an unavoidable question,바카라 게임 웹사이트 said Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., previewing the kinds of questions he will be asking. 바카라 게임 웹사이트Did this president choose you because of your view of presidential power?바카라 게임 웹사이트
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AFFORDABLE CARE ACT
While senators are quizzing Kavanaugh in Washington, a court case against the Affordable Care Act brought by 20 Republican state attorneys general is expected to be unfolding in Texas. The case centers on the 바카라 게임 웹사이트Obamacare바카라 게임 웹사이트 requirement that all Americans carry insurance and that insurers, in turn, not discriminate for pre-existing health conditions. Kavanaugh issued a 2011 opinion that some conservatives viewed as favorable to the mandate, but Democrats worry he will provide a key vote on the court against it.
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REGULATORY AUTHORITY
Conservatives are increasingly trying to limit the federal government바카라 게임 웹사이트s ability, under a 1984 case involving the Chevron oil company, to regulate industry. Kavanaugh appears to have shared some of these views. Republicans largely welcome that approach, but Democrats will be listening to see if he would tip the majority away from the Chevron case and limit the government바카라 게임 웹사이트s ability to fill in the details of law with administrative actions.
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TORTURE AND SURVEILLANCE
Testifying before the Senate 12 years ago, Kavanaugh said he wasn바카라 게임 웹사이트t directly involved in drafting Bush-era policies for detaining and interrogating terror suspects. But a short time later, news accounts suggested he had discussed in the White House how the Supreme Court would view such policies.
Two Democrats, Sens. Dick Durbin of Illinois and Patrick Leahy of Vermont, questioned his honesty at the time. Those questions are likely to resurface this week. After meeting privately with Kavanaugh ahead of the confirmation hearing, Durbin said Kavanaugh confirmed his involvement in the Bush-era discussions of detention policy, making his earlier testimony 바카라 게임 웹사이트misleading at best.바카라 게임 웹사이트
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CAMPAIGN FINANCE
The role of money in politics is increasingly being decided by the Supreme Court. Landmark cases opened the door to new political action committees with unlimited and undisclosed spending arrangements. Kavanaugh wrote a key 2009 opinion, Emily바카라 게임 웹사이트s List v. Federal Election Commission, siding with the advocacy group that the First Amendment protects the rights of individuals to express their views. Senators will want to hear more.
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GUN CONTROL
Among those witnesses testifying on the final day of Kavanaugh바카라 게임 웹사이트s hearing will be a survivor of the Parkland, Florida, high school shooting. California Sen. Dianne Feinstein, the top Democrat on the committee, has previously raised concerns about Kavanaugh바카라 게임 웹사이트s legal approach to the Second Amendment. He dissented in a key District of Columbia case prohibiting assault weapons.