Yeomans: Trump Is Unfit to Appoint a Justice

WASHINGTON, D.C., August 30, 2018 – In the latest edition of Yeomans Work, AFJ Justice Fellow Bill Yeomans states unequivocally that President Trump is unfit to make a lifetime appointment to the Supreme Court. The Senate Judiciary Committee is set to begin confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh next week.

Yeomans notes, “Senators are being asked to confirm Kavanaugh for a lifetime appointment even though he was nominated by a president who selected him through a flawed process, is under investigation for crimes committed to win his election, and has obstructed the investigation while exhibiting contempt for the justice system.” He writes that in spite of all these factors, and despite the fact that only the merest sliver of Kavanaugh’s record has been made available for review, Senate Republicans have refused to delay the hearings.

And there’s more, says Yeomans: “The process by which Trump selected Kavanaugh exacerbates the inappropriateness of proceeding. He contracted out the selection process to the Federalist Society, though not before establishing hostility to Roe v. Wade as a litmus test. We don’t know what criteria were used in the selection or what assurances may have been made along the way. Trump’s practice of extracting loyalty pledges from subordinates increases the need for transparency.”

Barring any last-minute developments, Kavanaugh’s confirmation hearing is set to start next week.

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.