‘ protections, protections, consumer protections, workers' rights, protections, consumer protections, workers‘ rights, silver rights, lgbt rights, and rights of treaties and agreements with native americans, and a host of other hardened rights. judge kavanaugh doesn‘t belong on the bench because he has repeatedly misled the senate, putting into serious doubt his credibility and a judge must be credible, believable and honest. above all. judge kavanaugh and honest. above all. judge kava naugh doesn‘t belong and honest. above all. judge kavanaugh doesn‘t belong on the bench because he is an extreme partisan. something we have seen from his earliest days in his career. and, reconfirmed when he gave one of the bitterest, most partisan testimonies ever presented bya partisan testimonies ever presented by a nominee. judge kavanaugh doesn‘t belong on the bench because of his injudicious tamina. his partisan screed will go down ignominiously in history. and made

it clear that it would be virtually impossible for him to rule impartially on the supreme court. judges must be temperate, judicious, evenhanded. judge kavanaugh is republican leaders knew before he was nominated thatjudge kavanaugh was nominated thatjudge kavanaugh was a very flawed choice, but once president trump selected him, republicans decided they had to rush him through. they became a steam roller over truth, fairness and our traditions of bipartisan cooperation. any means necessary to reach their desired end. they blamed doctor ford and democrats forjudge kavanaugh‘s doctor ford and democrats forjudge kava naugh‘s floors. they doctor ford and democrats forjudge kavanaugh‘s floors. they were intent on shrouding the truth because they knew that if the truth came to

light, judge kavanaugh would be exposed as a truly flawed nominee. so, my colleagues, my fellow americans, what is the appropriate response? our country needs to have a reckoning on these issues and there is only one remedy — change must come from where change in america always begins, the ballot box. so to americans, the so many millions who are outraged by what happened here, there is one answer — vote. if you believe doctor ford and other brave women who came forward and you want to vindicate their sacrifice, vote. if you believe the supreme court should uphold women‘s rights, vote. if you believe the supreme court must protect health

ca re supreme court must protect health care and our pre—existing conditions that are protected now, vote. if you believe the supreme court should defend workers, consumers, the environment, civil publishing, vote. if you believe the supreme court should be in check on an overreaching president, vote. if you believe the process here in the senate was a sham and you believe americans deserve better, vote. if you believe that supreme court justices should conform to the highest standards of character, impartiality, temperament and above all, honesty and credibility, vote. i understand, i share the deep anguish that millions of americans are experiencing today, but i say to

you, my fellow americans, there is one answer — vote. i yield the floor. you are watching bbc news, this is our special coverage of the confirmation process, the final vote in the us senate. we havejust confirmation process, the final vote in the us senate. we have just heard chuck schumer speak and we are expecting the republican senate majority leader, mitch mcconnell, to speak shortly. he will speak next, but we heard from strong words from chuck schumer. the generation that then existed, but for prosperity. those are the words of henry clay, mr president. kentucky‘s‘s own. i

underscore that the decision united states senators will make today will echo in the history of our nation. the very survival of our constitutional form of government requires an expert and independent judiciary. without fair and impartial courts ofjustice, judiciary. without fair and impartial courts of justice, as alexander hamilton put it, in the federalist papers, all the reservations of that particular rights or privileges would amount to nothing. the courts guard our rights and the senate guards our courts. that, mr president, is why today is such an important day. that is why the vote we take this afternoon, a

vote to confirm a new associate justice of these "of the united states, represents one of the most consequential decisions a senator ever makes. the members of this body are duty bound to confirm justices of this print court who are men and women as the highest character and the most superlative qualifications. —— of the supreme court. that is just the sort of nominee who stands before us today. 12 weeks ago, the president nominated the jurist whose been described by legal peers of all political stripes as a superstar, a serious scholar and who is legendary for his preparation and possesses the qualifications of temperament and thejudicial the qualifications of temperament

and the judicial philosophy to be an excellent associate justice. the president nominated a brilliant student of the law, those who taught and new league nominee at yale say it is hard to name anyone with judicial credentials as strong as judge kavanaugh. they describe a true intellectual, a leading thinker and a wonderful mental and teacher. those he has mentors, a diverse group of young lawyers, talk about his work ethic, his and clenching and honest advice, and his fundamental sheila two. —— his fundamental sheila two. —— his fundamental humility. this is not empty praise. we have seen the legendary preparation of a tireless judge, we have seen the patience of

a committed mental and teacher. we have seen the humility of a true intellectual who led his record —— let his record speaks for itself. we are each saying this for ourselves. every senator into this process has come in with an open mind and has said that brett kavanaugh —— has seen a said that brett kavanaugh —— has seen a brett kavanaugh first—hand. we have seen his brilliance, his painstaking thoroughness, for 12 yea rs, painstaking thoroughness, for 12 years, judge kavanaugh painstaking thoroughness, for 12 years, judge kava naugh excelled painstaking thoroughness, for 12 years, judge kavanaugh excelled on the bench that many experts see as the bench that many experts see as the second important court in our nation. we have seen his geniality and kindness first—hand in our meetings with the nominee. precisely the approach that is necessary in the approach that is necessary in the court. we have seen his excellent as we reviewed more pages of documents pertaining to his career than for any other supreme court nomination in our history.

pages that detect a meticulous and dedicated public servant. and yes, we have now studied the results of seven, seven, fbi background investigations, enquiries that have produced no evidence whatsoever to corroborate any prior misconduct. but rather, they are consistent with all we know about this nominee‘s sterling character. this historically tall mountain of evidence adds up to one clear message —judge evidence adds up to one clear message — judge brett evidence adds up to one clear message —judge brett kavanaugh is among the very best our nation has two offer. he will make the senate and the country proud. he will does best —— he will serve with distinction and he deserves confirmation and the country deserves such a supreme court justice. as i have explained, the

sta kes a re justice. as i have explained, the stakes are always high, always high, where a supreme court confirmation is concerned. but this time, this time, the stakes are higher. a lot higher. a lot higher than they have beenin higher. a lot higher than they have been in the past. i can‘t sum this up been in the past. i can‘t sum this up better than our friend and distinguished college the senior senator for distinguished college the senior senatorfor main put distinguished college the senior senator for main put it distinguished college the senior senatorfor main put it in her historic remarks yesterday. this is what the senior senator for maine said — it is when passions are most inflamed that fairness is most in jeopardy. she said, when passions are most inflamed, is when fairness is most injeopardy. we all are most inflamed, is when fairness is most in jeopardy. we all know the events in recent weeks have

stained... stained the country and the flames of parts and discord. our very commitment to the basic principles of fairness and justice is also being hurt. basic principles of fairness and justice being tested right here. a vote to confirm judge kavanaugh right here. a vote to confirm judge kava naugh today is right here. a vote to confirm judge kavanaugh today is also a vote to send a clear message about what the senate is. this is an institution where the evidence and facts matter, this is where the evidence and facts matter. this is the chamber in which the politics of intimidation and personal destruction do not win. this is the body whose members themselves uphold the same

commitment to american justice that we seek in the judges we examine. a vote to confirm judge kavanaugh todayis vote to confirm judge kavanaugh today is a vote to end this brief, dark chapter in the senate‘s history and turn the page towards a brighter tomorrow. the chamber we are privileged to occupy is often called the world‘s greatest body for a good reason. when the rubber meets the road, when the hour is critical, when a historic president needs to be set, the united states senate most be set, the united states senate m ost ofte n be set, the united states senate most often finds its way to do what is right. today, we can honour that history, we can vote to turn away

from the darkness, we can vote to set a precedent about fairness and judgment that will define this body for the better. we can vote to confirm an excellent supreme court justice who will make the senate and the american people proud. i yield the american people proud. i yield the floor. a reminder to our guests in the galleries, expressions of approval or disapproval are not permitted in the senate galleries. under the previous question, not all time has expired, the question is on the nomination. is there a sufficient second? can we

restore order in the gallery? is there a sufficient second? there is insufficient second? inaudible the sergeant at arms will restore order in the gallery. the sergeant at arms will restore order in the gallery. inaudible the sergeant at arms will restore

order in the gallery. the sergeant at arms has restored order in the gallery. the sergeant at arms will restore order in the gallery. the plaque may continue. —— the clerk may continue. mr bennett, mr blumenthal, mr blunt,

mr bennett, mr blumenthal, mr blunt, mr brooker, mr bozeman, mr brown, mr burgh. mrcarden, mr mr brooker, mr bozeman, mr brown, mr burgh. mr carden, mr carter, mr casey, mr cassidy, ms collins... inaudible the sergeant at arms will restore order in the gallery. mr koons, mr corker, mr corning.

mr koons, mr corker, mr coming. the senator will suspend... the sergeant at arms will restore order in the gallery. the sergeant at arms will restore order in the gallery. mr cotton, mrcotton, mr mr cotton, mr crespo, mr cruise, mr danes, mr donnelly, ms duckworth, mr

durbin, mrs ernst, mrs feinstein, mrs fisher... the sergeant at arms will restore order in the gallery. mrgardner, mrsjill will restore order in the gallery. mr gardner, mrsjill brown... will restore order in the gallery. mr gardner, mrs jill brown. .. you're watching live coverage of the us senate, these nomination proceedings for confirming a very controversial judge brett kavanaugh as the new member of the zipping courtjudge. what you have been hearing is multiple interruptions by protesters in the gallery as the names of senators are read out. you can hear the sound come in, some of the

protests are being muffled and then on it goes. let‘s talk to our correspondence mac who is at the capitol building in washington. how unusual are some of these scenes? all of this is capping what has been an intense and unusual political drama that has played out over the past week or two. we have heard the state m e nts past week or two. we have heard the statements from the minority and majority leaders, both putting out very radical and different views of thejudge they are very radical and different views of the judge they are about to vote on. this sums up what this debate and controversy has been all about. as you mentioned, some protesters managed to get into the gallery and tried to disrupt as much as possible. the two ‘s beaches we heard talked about very different things. chuck schumer, the democratic minority leader, went through all the reasons why they

thought it wasn‘t right, he talked aboutjudge kavanaugh‘s thought it wasn‘t right, he talked about judge kava naugh‘s conservative views which consigned them to stop he talked about his partisanship, historically, but also exhibited in the hearing last week when he was charged with sexual allegations of assault. they talk about the examination into these proceedings in being incomplete full stop. then he switched into a pitch for the election, because he knows he has lost his space, but they are hoping to galvanise their supporters through the full stop then the majority leader, mitch mcconnell, who had been fighting very hard to getjudge kavanaugh confirmed went through a completely different speech full. he talked about the qualificationsjudge speech full. he talked about the qualifications judge kavanaugh has, that he is exceptionally qualified, he has a good repetition on the court, a scholar and mentor. he then made the point to say that it is about justice and fairness. made the point to say that it is aboutjustice and fairness. he said we saved an innocent man, his

argument being that these allegations were unconfirmed and why should they destroy the character of a man? he quoted susan collins, the female senator who was quite concerned about this and sat on the fence, using her to make his point thatjudge kavanaugh should be confirmed. you are seeing the wrapping up of a dispute and controversy that has completely divided the senate and also divided many americans. we are seeing scenes of the us senate, we believe the final vote may actually be under way. we have been hearing the names of senators being called. you have talked about the final two speeches andi talked about the final two speeches and i thought what was interesting about what mitch mcconnell had to say was that a vote to confirm judge kavanaugh is a vote to end this dark chapter in the senate history. kavanaugh is a vote to end this dark chapter in the senate historylj noticed chapter in the senate history.” noticed that as well and that is something that i think we will wait

to see what happens. many senators have said, including some on the republican side, that this has been a dark chapter, it has been bitterly partisan, it has been nasty, nobody came out well on this in terms of the way the events unfolded. i guess the way the events unfolded. i guess the question is whether the two sides can work together in the future, or whether this rift over thejudge and future, or whether this rift over the judge and the way it‘s played out is just the judge and the way it‘s played out isjust going the judge and the way it‘s played out is just going to deepen divides that are there. the senate tends to work together better than the house of representatives, they are seen as a more senior, more bipartisan institution, or at least one that can work any more bipartisan way. they have done on some issues, but something like this, which brings together an issue of the supreme court, which involves the direction of the country in the next

generation, it brings together issues of sexual allegations that intersect with the metoo movement. it fires up both sides and this has deepened those splits rather than otherwise. it is wondered whether this can be fixed after this mode text vessels we are still seeing scenes. . . text vessels we are still seeing scenes... we are hearing instructions... let‘s have a listen. i therefore withdraw my vote. the senator has that right. senators voting in the affirmative. alexander, blunt, breyer, cassidy, collins, corker, corning, cotton, crypto, cruise, envy, bounced,

fisher, flaked, gardner, grassley, hatch, heller, hogan. isaacson, johnson, kennedy, kyle, langford, lee, manson, moran, paul, portman, roberts, rounds, rubio, scott, shelby, sullivan, to me, wicker, young. senators voting in the negative... baldwin, bennett, blumenthal,

booker, brown, carden, casey, koons, donnelly, duckworth, durban, weinstein, julie brand, harris, hasan, renault, kane, king, clover chart, markey, mendez, merkley, mary, nelson, peters, reeve, sanders, shots, schumer, shaheen, smith, tester, you‘d all, van holland, warner, warren, white house, waiting. mr murphy. no. you‘re watching a live scenes of the

us senate as this confirmation vote has taken place, we have heard a list of those in the affirmative, those who are voting forjudge kavanaugh to be the next us supreme court judge, kavanaugh to be the next us supreme courtjudge, and kavanaugh to be the next us supreme court judge, and then kavanaugh to be the next us supreme courtjudge, and then we have heard a list in the negative, we are hearing on reuters that the majority have voted in the support of the supreme court nominee, but we will get confirmation of that as soon as we can. barbara, can you explain the process here? what have we been hearing and what might happen next? the vote has finished, it is 50—48. so, judge kavanaugh has been confirmed. the reason it is 48 is because the senator from montana was not able to be present as he had to attend his daughter‘s wedding. the one republican senator who voted no voted present for him. this evened the balance, which is why you have 50-48. this

the balance, which is why you have 50—48. this is a minor side story to the fact that the vote has gone through, judge kavanaugh has been confirmed and the next step will be for him to be sworn in and take his seat on the bench, which caught observers have suggested could be as early as tuesday. judge brett kavanaugh is now to be the new us supreme courtjudge. kavanaugh is now to be the new us supreme court judge. is kavanaugh is now to be the new us supreme courtjudge. is this it? is this where the story ends with mac that‘s where this chapter ends... i think it has triggered a lot of other things that will continue over the next weeks and months. as we have been talking about, perhaps the soonest we will see it is in the mid—term elections, we will see in five weeks whether this is still as hot an issue as it is now. it certainly has fired up democrats who say that they are going to come out ina larger say that they are going to come out in a larger numbers to vote and we

heard chuck schumer‘s pitch to vote. in that sense, that could have a lasting impact, certainly in the wider sense, the direction of the supreme court, yes. this isjust the beginning, because it means there is now a solid conservative majority on the court of nine judges. the judge who he is replacing was conservative, but he was sometimes side with the liberals on certain issues. judge kavanaugh has a clear record of conservative positions on all issues that will come up before the supreme court and it is something that is not only a victory for president trump, who promised his supporters he would do this, but for conservatives who have organised since the 80s to try and shift the direction of the supreme court, working with lawyers, getting them promoted, bringing them into the limelight, trying to get people on

the bench that will change its direction. in that sense, it is very much a pivotal moment for the supreme court. what can be confusing when we talk about the supreme court process and the court itself is that we talk about not wanting partisan judges and yet, both sides try and get their own partisan pic on the bench. how is that conflict resolved? it is a difficult one, because the supreme court is not elected popularly, thejudges are appointed by the president. if an comes up, appointed by the president. if an comes up, whatever party the president represents, he or she will choose somebody who reflects his or her values. that is very much the dynamic that has been all along. it raises the kinds of questions that you have asked. i think there have been mitigating factors before, for

example, in the senate, it used to be that you needed 60 votes to confirm a judge... are there any senators in the chamber who wish to vote or change a vote? if chamber who wish to vote or change a vote ? if not, chamber who wish to vote or change a vote? if not, on this vote, the ice are 50, then ace are 48, the