Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility

Despite Last-Minute Changes, Senate Bill Deals Big Blow to Renewable Energy

21 hours ago

Trump-Backed Tax-Cut and Spending Bill Passes US Senate

23 hours ago

Homeland Security Secretary Noem Says CNN May Be Prosecuted Over Report on Migration App

23 hours ago

Israeli Officials to Hold Ceasefire Talks in Washington Amid Military Escalation in Gaza

1 day ago

Trump Escalates Feud With Musk, Threatens Tesla, SpaceX Support

1 day ago

Musk Vows to Punish Lawmakers Who Back Trump’s Spending Bill

2 days ago

Will Valadao Spoil Trump’s Plan for July 4th ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ Signing?

2 days ago

Shaver Lake and Reedley 4th of July Shows Are Wednesday. Who Else Is Celebrating?

2 days ago
Dems Vow To Fight Trump Supreme Court Nominee Kavanaugh
Bill McEwen updated website photo 2024
By Bill McEwen, News Director
Published 7 years ago on
July 10, 2018

Share

President Donald Trump has nominated influential conservative Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court as he seeks to shift the nation’s highest court further to the right.
Trump chose the 53-year-old federal appellate judge for the seat opened up by the retirement of Justice Anthony Kennedy. Kavanaugh would be less receptive to abortion and gay rights than Kennedy was.
Kavanaugh is Trump’s second high court pick after Justice Neil Gorsuch. Kavanaugh and Gorsuch served as law clerks to Kennedy at the same time early in their legal careers.
Kavanaugh is a longtime fixture of the Republican legal establishment. He has been a judge on the federal appeals court in Washington since 2006. He also was a key aide to Kenneth Starr during his investigation of President Bill Clinton and worked in the White House during George W. Bush’s presidency.

FILE – In this June 1, 2006 file photo, from left to right, President Bush, watches the swearing-in of Brett Kavanaugh as Judge for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia by U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice Anthony M. Kennedy, far right, during a ceremony in the Rose Garden of the White House, in Washington. Holding the Bible is Kavanaugh’s wife Ashley Kavanaugh. Kavanaugh is one of four judges thought to be President Donald Trump’s top contenders to fill a vacancy on the Supreme Court. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais, File)

Schumer Vows To Fight Nomination

The Senate’s top Democrat, meanwhile, said that Trump’s nomination of Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court puts abortion rights and health care protections for women “on the judicial chopping block.”
New York Sen. Chuck Schumer says by picking Kavanaugh, Trump is delivering on his pledge to “punish” women for their choices.
He says he will fight the nomination “with everything I have.” He’s urging people to make their voices heard, an indirect reference to voicing their objections to senators.
Schumer says if Kavanaugh is confirmed, “women’s reproductive rights would be in the hands of five men on the Supreme Court.”
Schumer and other Democrats have cited campaign statements Trump made to assert that any of the candidates Trump mulled would oppose abortion rights and the Obama-era health care law.

Trump: Kavanaugh Is a ‘Judge’s Judge’

Trump introduced Kavanaugh as “a judge’s judge” and cited his “proven commitment to equal justice under the law.”
Trump announced Kavanaugh as his pick Monday night on prime-time television.
Trump says Kavanaugh has “impeccable credentials and unsurpassed qualifications.”
Trump made the announcement in the East Room of the White House and rousing applause broke out as Kavanaugh entered with his wife and two daughters.

More Conservative Than Kennedy?

Kavanaugh is likely to be more conservative than Justice Kennedy on a range of social issues. At the top of that list is abortion.
A more conservative majority could be more willing to uphold state restrictions on abortion, if not overturn the 45-year-old landmark Roe v. Wade decision that established a woman’s constitutional right.
Kennedy’s replacement also could be more willing to allow states to carry out executions and could support undoing earlier court holdings in the areas of racial discrimination in housing and the workplace. Kennedy provided a decisive vote in 2015 on an important fair housing case.
Like the other eight justices on the court, Kavanaugh has an Ivy League law degree, spending his undergraduate and law school years at Yale.

Aide to Starr During Bill Clinton Investigation

Since 2006, he has been a judge on the federal appeals court in Washington. He also was a key aide to Kenneth Starr during Starr’s investigation of President Bill Clinton, worked on behalf of George W. Bush’s campaign during the election recount in 2000 and served in the Bush White House.
Kavanaugh’s many written opinions provide insight into his thinking and also will be fodder for Senate Democrats who will seek to block his confirmation. He has written roughly 300 opinions as a judge, authored several law journal articles, regularly taught law school classes and spoken frequently in public.
Kavanaugh’s views on presidential power and abortion are expected to draw particular attention in his confirmation hearing.
Drawing on his experience working on the Clinton investigation and then in the Bush White House, he wrote in a 2009 law review article that he favored exempting presidents from facing both civil suits and criminal investigations, including indictment, while in office.
That view has particular relevance as special counsel Robert Mueller is looking into Russian meddling in the 2016 election and whether the Trump campaign played any role in a foreign interference plot.
On abortion, Kavanaugh voted in October to delay an abortion for a teenage immigrant who was in government custody.

‘Abortion on Demand’ Controversy

The court’s ruling in her favor was based on a constitutional principle, he wrote, “as novel as it is wrong: a new right for unlawful immigrant minors in U.S. Government detention to obtain immediate abortion on demand.”
Trump’s success in confirming conservative judges, as well as a Supreme Court justice, has cheered Republicans amid concerns about his limited policy achievements and chaotic management style.
Of the court’s liberal justices, Ruth Bader Ginsburg is 85 and Stephen Breyer turns 80 next month, so Trump may well get another opportunity to cement conservative dominance of the court for years to come.

Social Media Reaction

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

Trump Pulls Back 150 Guard Troops From Federal Duties in California

DON'T MISS

Trump Says Israel Has Agreed to Conditions to Finalize 60-Day Gaza Ceasefire

DON'T MISS

Fresno County Man Arrested for Suspected Arson Hours After Separate Wildfire

DON'T MISS

New California Environmental Rollbacks Could Boost Housing Projects in Fresno

DON'T MISS

Iran Made Preparations to Mine the Strait of Hormuz, US Sources Say

DON'T MISS

Fresno Unified’s Embattled Nikki Henry Exits. ‘I Own My Mistake. I Won’t Let It Own Me.’

DON'T MISS

Trump Floats Daughter-in-Law Lara Trump for Senate Run in North Carolina

DON'T MISS

Google Hit With $314 Million US Verdict in Cellular Data Class Action

DON'T MISS

Tulare County Wildfire Prompts Advisory in Three Rivers Area

DON'T MISS

O’Brien Launches Fresno County Schools Chief Campaign by Handing Out ‘Homework’

UP NEXT

Suspect Identified in Ambush Shooting That Killed 2 Idaho Firefighters

UP NEXT

Suspect Identified in Ambush Shooting That Killed 2 Idaho Firefighters

UP NEXT

US Supreme Court Lets Parents Take Kids Out of Classes With LGBT Storybooks

UP NEXT

Bill Moyers, Broadcaster and LBJ’s White House Press Secretary, Dies at 91

UP NEXT

Tesla Executive, Elon Musk Confidant Leaves EV Maker, Bloomberg News Reports

UP NEXT

How a Birthday Boat Ride on Lake Tahoe Turned Tragic

UP NEXT

Cuomo Concedes to Mamdani in New York City Democratic Mayoral Contest

UP NEXT

Mamdani Holds Lead Over Cuomo in Democratic Primary for NYC Mayor

UP NEXT

Clovis Man Sentenced to 8 Years in Federal Prison in Deadly Fentanyl Case

UP NEXT

Victims Identified as Death Toll Climbs to 8 in Lake Tahoe Boating Tragedy

Bill McEwen,
News Director
Bill McEwen is news director and columnist for GV Wire. He joined GV Wire in August 2017 after 37 years at The Fresno Bee. With The Bee, he served as Opinion Editor, City Hall reporter, Metro columnist, sports columnist and sports editor through the years. His work has been frequently honored by the California Newspapers Publishers Association, including authoring first-place editorials in 2015 and 2016. Bill and his wife, Karen, are proud parents of two adult sons, and they have two grandsons. You can contact Bill at 559-492-4031 or at Send an Email

Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Convicted on Prostitution Counts, but Cleared of More Serious Charges

30 minutes ago

Trump Pulls Back 150 Guard Troops From Federal Duties in California

15 hours ago

Trump Says Israel Has Agreed to Conditions to Finalize 60-Day Gaza Ceasefire

16 hours ago

Fresno County Man Arrested for Suspected Arson Hours After Separate Wildfire

16 hours ago

New California Environmental Rollbacks Could Boost Housing Projects in Fresno

16 hours ago

Iran Made Preparations to Mine the Strait of Hormuz, US Sources Say

17 hours ago

Fresno Unified’s Embattled Nikki Henry Exits. ‘I Own My Mistake. I Won’t Let It Own Me.’

17 hours ago

Trump Floats Daughter-in-Law Lara Trump for Senate Run in North Carolina

17 hours ago

Google Hit With $314 Million US Verdict in Cellular Data Class Action

17 hours ago

Tulare County Wildfire Prompts Advisory in Three Rivers Area

18 hours ago

Four Rescued After Kings River Float Turns Dangerous

Four young men were rescued Tuesday afternoon after getting stranded during a float down the Kings River, authorities said. The group ran in...

3 minutes ago

Four young men were rescued from the Kings River in Sanger on Tuesday, July 1, 2025, after getting stranded in rapids, thanks to life jackets, a rescue boat, and a sheriff’s helicopter. (Fresno County SO)
3 minutes ago

Four Rescued After Kings River Float Turns Dangerous

Palestinians inspect the damage at the site of an overnight Israeli air strike on a tent sheltering displaced people, in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, July 2, 2025. REUTERS/Hatem Khaled TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY
20 minutes ago

Hamas Says It Is Studying Ceasefire Proposal Labelled ‘Final’ by Trump

Traders work on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York City, U.S., July 1, 2025. (Reuters/Jeenah Moon)
24 minutes ago

Wall Street Edges Down After ADP Shock. Focus on Trade Talks, Payrolls Data

Sean "Diddy" Combs and his attorney Marc Agnifilo discuss with other defense lawyers on how to respond to a new note sent by jurors, during Combs' sex trafficking trial in New York City, New York, U.S., July 1, 2025 in this courtroom sketch. REUTERS/Jane Rosenberg
30 minutes ago

Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Convicted on Prostitution Counts, but Cleared of More Serious Charges

15 hours ago

Trump Pulls Back 150 Guard Troops From Federal Duties in California

An Israeli military convoy manoeuvres near the Israel-Gaza border, as seen from Israel, July 1, 2025. (Reuters/Amir Cohen)
16 hours ago

Trump Says Israel Has Agreed to Conditions to Finalize 60-Day Gaza Ceasefire

Abel Joel Garcia Zarate, 39, of Biola, was arrested Sunday, June, 30, 2025, in Madera County on suspicion of starting a wildfire just hours after crews responded to a separate blaze sparked by farm equipment. (Madera County SO)
16 hours ago

Fresno County Man Arrested for Suspected Arson Hours After Separate Wildfire

16 hours ago

New California Environmental Rollbacks Could Boost Housing Projects in Fresno

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend