Brett Kavanaugh Tapped to Fill SCOTUS Seat, Setting Up Bitter Senate Clash
Appellate court judge Brett Kavanaugh is President Donald Trump's pick to fill the soon-to-be vacant spot on the Supreme Court bench.
The 53-year-old would replace the retiring Justice Anthony Kennedy, who often served as a swing vote for liberals on social issues like gay marriage and abortion.
Critics fear Kavanaugh, who has a long record of conservative-leaning decisions, would vote against those rulings and tilt the nation's top court to the right for decades to come.
In accepting the nomination Monday night, Kavanaugh said, "My judicial philosophy is straightforward. A judge must be independent and must interpret the law, not make the law."
He is, in many ways, similar to Trump's first Supreme Court pick Justice Neil Gorsuch, said Eric Boehm, reporter at Reason.com.
"The two of them attended Georgetown prep together, they were just two years apart in high school," said Boehm. "We now have two guys who may have shared a locker room together in their high school gym class sitting on the Supreme Court, which is kind of crazy and maybe worthy of more criticism than it will get."
Kavanaugh's nomination sets up a bitter fight in the Senate that could potentially have a knock-on effect in the midterm elections in November.
Democrats have voiced their strong opposition to Kavanaugh's candidacy, with Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) [tweeting](https://twitter.com/SenSchumer/status/1016493013143605248) after Monday's announcement that he'll oppose the nomination "with everything I have." Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) raised questions over Kavanaugh's support of presidential immunity, suggesting his candidacy is an attempt by Trump to avoid investigation by Special Counsel Robert Mueller.
Booker's concerns stem from Kavanaugh's 1998 [law review article](http://www.minnesotalawreview.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Kavanaugh_MLR.pdf), which he penned after working with independent counsel Kenneth Starr on the investigation into former president Bill Clinton.
Though he authored the report that suggested grounds for Clinton's impeachment, Kavanaugh eventually came to reverse course, questioning whether a sitting president should be subject to the burdens of criminal proceedings.
"A president who is concerned about an ongoing criminal investigation is almost inevitably going to do a worse job as president," Kavanaugh wrote.
The GOP holds only a slight majority in the Senate of 51-49, meaning every Republican senator would have to vote along party lines to confirm the new addition to the Supreme Court. However, Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) and Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) are two potential dissenters who could disrupt the equation. Both are pro-choice Republicans who may take issue with the fact that Kavanaugh could help overturn the landmark 1973 decision of Roe v. Wade that established abortion rights.
To complicate the math further, with the midterms looming, some Democratic Senators in traditionally Republican states may also cross over and vote in favor of Kavanaugh, said Jon Miller, CRTV's White House correspondent.
"We have Joe Donnelly \(D-IN\), Joe Manchin \(D-WV\), and Heidi Heitkamp \(D-ND\) who are up for re-election in really competitive races in deeply red states, so they're probably going to have to come on board too," said Miller.
Kavanaugh has been a law and political insider for decades, with some referring to him as the "Forrest Gump of Republican politics." He clerked for the very judge he may end up replacing, Justice Kennedy. He was on President George W. Bush's team during the months-long 2000 recount case against candidate Al Gore. He also served as Bush's White House lawyer and staff secretary, helping Bush navigate legal issues after the 9/11 attack. In 2003, Bush nominated Kavanaugh for his current position as circuit judge for the U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington, DC. He was confirmed to the position in 2006.
Members of Congress have voted to advance a bill meant to address antitrust concerns related to tech giants including Amazon, Apple, Google, and Meta. The 'American Innovation and Choice Online Act' is largely seen as one of the best chances for the government to reign in Big Tech's dominance
Seth Schachner, Managing Director StratAmericas; Digital Business Executive joined Cheddar's Opening Bell to discuss.
American semiconductor company, Intel officially announcing plans to build a new $20 billion chip manufacturing complex outside Columbus, Ohio. This comes as the global chip shortage continues to hamper production of everything from smart phones, to cars. Jennifer Smith - Logistics and Supply Chain Reporter, WSJ joined Cheddar's Opening Bell to discuss.
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As the midterm election looms, things aren't looking too promising for President Joe Biden. One year into his term as president, Biden is facing one of the lowest approval ratings of any modern-day president, threatening his party's control of the House in 2022. Brian Bennett, Senior White House Correspondent for TIME, joined Cheddar's Opening Bell to discuss.
A full one year into his term as President of The United States, President Biden addressed the nation on Wednesday, facing questions on everything from inflation to chip shortages and covid-19. As Biden enters his second year in office, he is facing one of the lowest approval ratings of any modern-day president. Kate Davidson, Reporter, POLITICO joined Cheddar's Opening Bell to discuss.
"Barbara Lee: Speaking Truth to Power" is the story of how the longtime House Democrat became, as she Is known to some, as "the Conscience of Congress." The film also
shows Representative Lee from her days working to fight community poverty to famously becoming the only member of Congress to vote "no" against the war in Afghanistan days after 9/11. The film is nominated for an NAACP Image Award, and Premieres on Starz on February 1. Film director Abby Ginzberg and Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif. 13th District), joined Cheddar to discuss more.
San Diego has just implemented a new law that could set the stage for how the country deals with food waste. This new law hopes to make a dent in that. Businesses and groceries stores out in San Diego will need to put a plan in place to *donate edible food rather than toss it straight to the trash. Food Rescue Manager at Feeding San Diego, Kate Garret
Earlier this month, New York City experienced one of the deadliest fires it has seen in decades. 17 people lost their lives in the Fordham section of the Bronx. This was due to a faulty space heater which reportedly began on the lower floor of the 120 unit building. Thanks to the F. D. N. Y. And heroic neighbors, many were able to get out in time. Unfortunately, the toxic smoke surged upwards through a safety door. Now, many advocates say negligence by policymakers and landlords has led to the deaths in black and brown communities from fires that honestly could have been preventable. Legislative Director of Citizen Action of New York, Rebecca Garrard, and the Chair of Journalism and New Media Studies at St. Joseph's College Theodore Hamm, joined Cheddar to discuss more.
The Supreme Court has declined to order the Texas Abortion case back to the original trial judge for further proceedings. Essentially if Texas abortion providers were able to get their case back to the lower court., It would have greatly helped the group move against the law. However, this decision is likely to prolong the case legal battle. Professor and Author of "The Turnaway Study: Ten Years, a Thousand Women, and the Consequences of Having — Or Being Denied — An Abortion", Diane Foster, joined Cheddar to discuss more.
The Supreme Court rejected yet another bid by abortion providers to block Texas's law - which bans most abortions after six weeks of pregnancy. This is the fourth time that advocates have tried and failed to block the most restrictive abortion ban in the country. Leah Litman, assistant professor of law at The University of Michigan and co-host of the "Strict Scrutiny" podcast, joins Cheddar News to discuss.
