Yeomans: Republicans “Running a Scam” to Confirm Kavanaugh

WASHINGTON, D.C., August 17, 2018 – In thelatest edition of Yeomans Work,  AFJ Justice Fellow Bill Yeomans writes that Senate Republicans are short-circuiting the normal confirmation process for Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, by moving ahead without obtaining all the relevant documents from his career — and he minces no words.  Yeomans notes:

“The Republican Senate majority is running a scam to ram through confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh without the scrutiny that is essential to our constitutional health.  Republicans are panicking.  They want to move quickly, in part out of fear they will lose their majority in November’s elections and that a devastating turn in the Mueller investigation might undermine Trump’s pending nominations.  But, perhaps even more frightening for them, polling shows that a majority of the public already opposes Kavanaugh’s confirmation.  Senate Republicans understand that the more the public learns about the nominee and his positions and the longer the Senate and public have to consider the nomination, the less popular he will become.”

Meanwhile, as Yeomans writes, the confirmation process is virtually the last opportunity for public accountability in a Supreme Court Justice’s career, since they enjoy lifetime tenure. Any unsavory revelations about their past work are likely to be meaningless if they come after confirmation. And as Yeomans observes, “The rushed, corrupted process that Republicans are pursuing hurts the Court. Leaving stones unturned is dangerous.”  Adding his voice to the chorus of those demanding that Republicans stop taking irresponsible shortcuts, Yeomans concludes that the Senate “must take the time to gather and release all of the records.”

Yeomans Work focuses on the challenges to the justice system in the era of  Trump. Bill Yeomans is available for media interviews. Contact Laurie Kinney, Communications Director, at laurie@afj.org or 202-464-7367.