comparable letters to what was sent for elena kagan's documents and what was produced in elena kagan's confirmation. in the bipartisan request to kagan, all documents kagan orte, edited or prepared under her supervision were askef d for. not this time. kagan was asked for documents she created that are in other people's files. she was asked for documents that referenced her. not this time. those requests were not made to brett kavanaugh. as has been discussed by senator schumer and kristine, during the kagan nomination, nonpartisan national archives staff provided documents. this time president bush's former lawyers are trying to take the lead. does anyone doubt the documents are being thoroughly prescreened? in march, chairman chuck grassley said "i have learned over the years that transparency doesn't come easy. it requires constant oversight and pressure from the public, the press, and congress." we agree with chuck grassley. this is a lifetime appointment that will alter our democracy, rule of law, rights, and legal protections for every single american. it is time to release all t

>> supreme court justices ruth bader ginsburg, stephen breyer and elena kagan took part in a the trial titled insurrection of camelot. other participants include the u.s. solicitor general noah francisco and the canadian supreme court justice suzanne coat. this is an hour. >> in a kingdom not so far away and long time ago, king arthur and queen guenevere have created a near utopian society.

the same expensive but necessary production of documents that we afforded the republicans when elena kagan was the nominee can be done here. we are not trying to delay, we just think it's important. someone is trying to delay but it's not me. we are not trying to delay we just think it's important to have these the sooner the better. >> the procedural ways that are available to us in the minority are not that large there is no way that we can prevent the senate from meeting. there's been some discussion about that but it just wouldn't happen i and if it did they coud unanimously consent to all kinds of things we never want to see them without a democrat on the floor to block it. and as for the committee, we believe we should be there and ask tough questions of the nominee. if we didn't show up, grassley y in the past and others in the past have just said okay we are going to vote without them there. >> and in the end this is about getting the republicans to look at this. we made the case to the american people and we got not one, two but three republicans to vote with us and it's the same

name where elena kagan's name appeared. and note -- well, you probably can't see it, but the letter request is signed by then-chair of the judiciary committee patrick leahy, and it was signed by the ranking member, our current attorney general, ranking member at that time jeff sessions. a may 18, 2010, just -- on may 18, 2010, just eight days after her nomination to the supreme court by president obama, the judiciary committee sent a bipartisan request to the director of the clinton presidential library asking for records from her time working at the white house and records related to her nomination to the d.c. circuit. we should send a similar request for judge kavanaugh. just, as i said, substituting brett kavanaugh's name for elena kagan's. however, the chairman of the judiciary committee, our colleague from iowa, is refusing to work with us to request the totality of judge kavanaugh's record. i have heard objection to the requests for all the records rest on the volume of documents we might receive. the fact that there

actually some precedent that.enator grassley to do john roberts worked in the white house, elena kagan worked in the white house. and they made -- they released including r records e-mails. so there is direct precedent notion that these records need to be made vailable and carefully reviewed. and we would expect chairman obey that precedent. i think it is also important a supreme court critically s so important that the american and e ought to understand understand well who it is who is considered for that particular role. is efore, i think it incumbent on the republican party to make all of this accessible, people ample give it.e to review and digest siobhan: there is so much paperwork. senate kly could the judiciary committee get to a hearing. nan: it is interesting you say because i just read that rob rosenstein is hiring or assistant u.s. attorneys to help review all of those records. what the timing will be. is really say is it the responsibility of the senate committee chair to be fair and open and make that available in time so an opportunity to review it. ark: even before any o

he was at harvard law school where he was appointed by then dean and now justice, elena kagan. after graduating he built a reputation as a stall law clerk including with it justice kennedy is a public servant he is one of the preeminent legal minds of his generation. in 2006 he was confirmed to the d.c. circuit. he has an extensive record and has published more than 300 opinions wears clear writing and reasoning. judge kavanaugh has built a long and distinguished record. he paints a clear picture of how he would conduct himself as a member of the nation's highest court. it's a firm understanding that judges interpret laws as they are written. we do not choose them to make policy. some of our colic see the role of judges differently. president obama summed up this ultimately well when he was running for president. he explained that he sought to appoint judges who harbor particular empathy for certain parties in certain cases. that's great if you happen to be the party in the case with whom the judge likes. not so great if you are the other guy. we have it doesn't allow for the r

position at harvard law school to which he was appointed, by the way, by then-dean and now justice elena kagan. after graduating, he quickly built a reputation as a star law clerk, including on the supreme court for justice kennedy. as an energetic and talented public servant and as one of the preeminent legal minds of his generation. in 2006 the senate confirmed him to the d.c. circuit. he's compiled an extensive record on the federal bench. he published more than 300 opinions and earned considerable praise for his clear writing and reasoning. so, madam president, judge kavanaugh has built a long and distinguished record. he paints a clear picture of how he would conduct himself as a member of the nation's highest court. it reflects a firm understanding that judges must interpret laws as they are written. we do not choose them to make policy, to pick favorites, or craft novel legislation from the bench. now some of our colleagues and others on the left seem to see the role of judges very differently. president obama summed up this alternate view well when he was running for president. he expl

ed tone of -- pinched tone of elena kagan on that unions case. wow. i mean, it was -- because she is, she was mad. and that really struck me just eneven -- i didn't even have to see it, i heard it coming in through the audio. >> the scene that you all missed that you really couldn't hear was the day that the amex antitrust came down, and the court marshal didn't realize that justice breyer was going to do an oral dissent, and she banged the gavel and started to say the court is adjourned until tomorrow. and justice breyer was, you know, adjusting his microphone, so the chief had to sort of stand up and wave everybody to sit back down, and everybody was laughing. and justice breyer started out with a big grin saying, well, you know, i realize it's only an antitrust case, but some of us think it's important. [laughter] and justice thomas, who'd just delivered the majority opinion who sits next to him, had this enormous smile on his face and was, you know, laughing at justice breyer's little joke. but really making a show of good cheer all around on the

elena kagan worked in the white house. and they released all of the records, including their emails, so there is precedent requesting supporting the notion that these records need to be made available and carefully reviewed, and we would expect chairman grassley to obey that precedent. i think it is also important, because the supreme court nomination is so critically important, that the american people ought to understand and understand well who it is that is being considered for that particular role. therefore, i think it is incumbent on republican parties to make this information accessible, available, and give people ample time to review and digest it. siobhan: there is so much paperwork. how quickly, then, could the senate judiciary committee get to a hearing? nan: well, it is interesting that you say that, because i just read that rod rosenstein is to comeor calling out assistant u.s. attorneys to help , assistant u.s. attorneys to help review those records. i have no idea what the timing will be, all i would say is

from yale, , aaw degree from yale lecturer position at harvard appointed by dean and justice scali elena kagan. a law clerk on the supreme court for supreme court justice kennedy. he is one of the preeminent legal minds of his generation. in 2006, the senate confirmed him to the d.c. circuit. he has compiled an extensive record on the federal bench. he has published more than 300 opinions and earned considerable praise for his clear writing and reasoning. long kavanaugh has built a and distinguished record. it paints a clear picture of how he would conduct himself as a member of the nation's highest court. it reflects a firm understanding that judges must interpret laws as they are written. we do not choose them to make policy, pick favorites, or craft novel legislation from the bench. some of our colleagues and others on the left seem to see the role of judges very differently. president obama summed up this alternate view well when he was running for president. he explained that he sought to appoint judges who harbored particular empathy for certain parties and certain cases. well, that's gr

. >> supreme court justices ruth bader ginsburg, stephen breyer, and elena kagan took part in a mock trial, post of our regular series hosted by the shakespeare theatre company in washington. insurrection in camelot, based on the theater's production of camelot. this is just over an hour. [applause] >> good evening to everybody. as you know, tonight's argument is based on the text of the 1960 camelot, a low play beloved classical musical that is currently playing on this stage, directed by alan paul. in a kingdom not so very far a long, long time ago, riddled with corruption and violence, king arthur and queen guenevere created a near utopian society in camelot. over might,mpioned and the king sits with the knights of the round table, with no head, signifying equality and cooperation. by the way, the ninth of the round table, as you know, have often been compared to our own cabinet. that ours occurs over and oval, not a roundtable, i know it recently has been attorney general sessions arguing with prewitt over who could be lancelot. arthur'shen illegitimate son, mordred, returns seek

and i remain grateful to the dean who hired me, justice elena kagan. as a judge, i.e.igher for law clerks each year. i look for the best. my law clerks from diverse backgrounds. i am proud that a majority of my law clerks have been women. i am part of the vibrant catholic community in the d.c. area. the members of that community disagree about things but we are united by a commitment to serve. father john and slayer is here, in 40 years ago i was an altar boy for father john. these days i help him serve meals to the homeless at catholic charities. i have two spirited counters, margaret and liza. margaret loves sports, and she loves to read. liza loves sports, and she loves to talk. [laughter] i have tried to create bonds with my daughters like my dad created with me. for the past seven years, i have coached my daughter's basketball teams. the girls on the team team call me coach k. i am proud of our blessed sacrament team that just won the city championship. [applause] my daughters and i also go to lots of games. our favorite memory was going to the historic notre dame

the letters request the entirety of elena kagan's record. not part of it, not a subset of it. all of it. madam president, what's good enough for justice kagan is good enough for judge kavanaugh. you could simply replace her name with judge kavanaugh's name throughout this letter, and the letter would be exactly applicable today. this is the standard democrats and republicans used to agree on, the kagan standard, and it wasn't just senators leahy and sessions. at the time, senator grassley said, quote, this is senator grassley, now chairman. the burden is on him to help us get a bipartisan letter. here's what grassley said. quote -- in order for the senate to fulfill its constitutional duty to advise and consent, we must get all of elena kagan's documents from the clinton library and have enough time to analyze them so we can determine whether she should be a justice. let me read it again. this is what chairman grassley said. this is chairman grassley, now chairman, then member of the judiciary committee. in order for the senate to fulfill its constitutional responsibility to ad

>> the elena kagan, we covered andvent she gave, a talk, elena kagan, coming from the solicitor general's office gives a talk with another former solicitor general, and i think was before this came out. she talked about how serious it was. her tone was like, it was a big deal. i thought that was interesting. >> part and parcel of what is going on in washington, all of the norms of behavior are shifting. people say, we never did it that way, you are not supposed to do it that way, nobody says you can't do it that way. it just becomes more partisan. in addition to -- hello? [laughter] >> in addition to reporting on decisions, you cover oral arguments and you could be upstairs on days when they are handing down decisions. were there any highlights you think could have changed the outcome? any takers? >> i don't know if that change the outcome, but there was one where roberts got angry, primarily at dryer -- justice the principles of how cases are supposed to be argued. hayes, ae city of criminal case. justice breyer was asking the lawyer about some factual case, andn about the the lawyer sai

he's also taught at law schools like harvard where he was actually hired by now-justice elena kagan, who he would serve alongside, as well as teaching at georgetown and yale. and we know during the years he has been on the appellate bench, he's handed down hundreds of decisions. and let's not forget that in order to obtain that important position, the senate already confirmed him once in 2006 by a vote of 57-36. we all know this is president trump's second nomination to the supreme court after that of justice neil gorsuch just last year. justice gorsuch in his first term on the court has already demonstrated the power of his pen, the clarity of his thought, and the force of his legal reasoning, and i'm sure that justice scalia would be proud of his successor's impartiality and his rigor and his self-discipline. but based on his distinguished record, i think judge kavanaugh will display many of the same attributes that justice gorsuch has displayed on the supreme court. in coming weeks, we will hear a lot about judge kavanaugh's interesting life story, about his long career as a dedic

of powers protects individual liberty, and i remain grateful to the dean who hired me, justice elena kagan. as a judge, i hire four law clerks each year. i look for the best. my law clerks come from diverse backgrounds and points of view. i am proud that a majority of my law clerks have been women. i am part of the vibrant catholic community in the d.c. area. the members of that community disagree about many things, but we are united by a commitment to serve. father john enzler is here. forty years ago, i was an altar boy for father john. these days, i help him serve meals to the homeless at catholic charities. i have two spirited daughters, margaret and liza. margaret loves sports, and she loves to read. liza loves sports, and she loves to talk. i have tried to create bonds with my daughters like my dad created with me. for the past seven years, i have coached my daughters' basketball teams. the girls on the team call me coach k. i am proud of our blessed sacrament team that just won the city championship. my daughters and i also go to lots of games. our favorite memory was going to the h

professor name condi rice, when i was at the university of chicago, my first day my first professor was elena kagan, and when i was there the next year, a skinny black guy named barack obama came to the university of chicago. so i like to say i'm one of the only people who knew the future secretary of state, future supreme court justice and supreme -- future president and did nothing with those connections. >>> if i were going to play tennis i'd probably play with rachel, nick, aj if you play dennis who shows up ? >>> a long time ago when i was younger, i was a de

condoleezza rice and whehad when i was at the uny of chicago by first day, my first professor was elena kagan and then barack obama came to the university of chicago. i'm one of the only people that knew the future secretary of state, futures and court justice and future president and did nothing with those connections. [laughter] >> and if i were going to play tennis i would probably play with rachel or nick or aj, if you were to play who would show up? >> a long time ago when i was younger i was a decent tennis player and i lost some of the best in the world. john mcenroe, people like that. so i've been known to lose a good match. >> if you beat them, you have a good story. what is the worst thing that ever happened during one of these? >> when you are the mayor, people say all kinds of things to you. but as you said earlier the best part of it is to find every kind of platform but you have to interact with your constituents. >> and what is a survival type? stanek minus to have a sense of humor. if you can't have a sense of humor, don't get on twitter because particularly when people know y

were in the minority, chairman leahy joined with republicans to request all of elena kagan's records from her time in the white house. now the shoe is on the other foot, we're in the minority, they are in the majority. but rather than applying the previous bipartisan standard, the republican majority is refusing to join with democrats in requesting brett kavanaugh's complete record. at issue is brett kavanaugh's time as staff secretary in the bush white house. republicans argue we don't need to see the papers from that part of his career. democrats argue we most certainly do. republicans are being hypocritical and sophistic. in both cases, we said we need all the important papers. why? we need a complete record of who the nominee is. now they are saying well, counsel is okay but staff secretary isn't and kagan wasn't a staff secretary. so what? so what? the relevant standard is all the records. no matter what jobs they had. and the republicans are trying to come up with the difference for reasons that people are asking why. are they hiding something? is kavanaugh hiding something? wh

and because elena kagan had nothing to hide, she went happily forward and said, go right ahead. now republicans ought to do the same thing for judge kavanaugh, particularly if he has nothing to hide. for the last week, senator feinstein has been ready to jointly request the same documents of judge kavanaugh that republicans demanded of justice kagan. but our republican colleagues are dragging their feed and refuse -- their feet and refusing to agree. they are the reason this whole activity has been slowed down. it's not democratic obstruction. it's democratic desire for transparency and openness, which republicans are blocking. they are being the obstructionists. now, the republicans' rationale -- they downplay judge kavanaugh's role as white house staff secretary. they argue we don't need to see documents from that part of his career, although they have no argument against it. they think we don't need them. we think we do. why not show them to us? and here is what judge kavanaugh himself said. he said that, quote, my three years as staff secretary for president bush were the mo

to elena kagan's point, while i would agree, they went through all of her obama your documents. republicans were fine with that now there is resistance going through judge kavanaugh's bush-era documents. a little bit of a double standard. i think democrats are only asking for what republicans have asked for in the past, consider what happened with merrick garland. i don't think that's unfair. >> shannon: what i'm hearing from folks who are dealing with these document requests is justice kagan head no trail from the bench. she was never a judge. there was little to go through. she was a solicitor general under the obama administration. there was a little bit of a trail there. you have to turn over whatever's relevant but there's a much bigger document pool apparently come up to a million pages on judge kavanaugh. do they need to see everything? is it fair to say they need to see everything there is on him before they can vote or is it a delay tactic? >> i think it's a delay tactic. judge kavanaugh has a long history of judicial opinion. that's what matters. not his personal opini

that was the reason he said he was against elena kagan. now brett kavanaugh, who spent several years working in the bush white house in legal and policy positions in that white house, and suddenly that doesn't seem to be a factor. how it will be a factor, senate democrats, and hopefully the judiciary committee, will demand to see all the memos that kavanaugh wrote to president bush, to find out what we know about his policy and legal positions. w when kagan was dominanominated,s put on a database. >> when he was serving on staff secretary, there's e-mails to and from. joyce, one of the questions -- what are the questions democrats should be drilling down on as it relates to this, or will they be drilling down regarding criminal investigations and the like? >> i think they'll have to drill down. it will be important to do it, because one to have bedrock issues that is at stake with this nomination is the integrity of the court. you know, we sit here and we debate as lawyers the finer points of constitutional law. but for the american people

>> last month supreme court justices ruth bader ginsburg, stephen breyer and elena kagan took part in the shakespeare theatre company mock trial based on the theaters production of camelot. this runs about an hour. [applause] >> good eating to everybody. as you know tonight argument is based on the text of the 1961 and low play camelot, a beloved classical musical which is currently playing on this stage directed by associate artistic director alan paul. in a kingdom not so very far away, long, long time ago, riddled with corruption and violence, king arthur and queen when you grab created a new utopian society in camelot. write his jacket over might and the king sits with the knights of the round table with no head, signifying a quality and cooperation by the way, the knights of the round table as you know often been compared to her own cabinet, realizing that ours is occurred over an oval, not about you but i know that recently there's been attorney general sessions are doing with epa administrator pruitt as to who could be lancelot. [laughing] anyway, , when arthur's illegitimate s

. >> supreme court justices ruth bader ginsburg, stephen breyer and elena kagan took part in a the trial titled insurrection of camelot. other participants include the u.s. solicitor general noah francisco and the canadian supreme court justice suzanne coat. this is an hour. >> in a kingdom not so far away and long time ago, king arthur and queen guenevere have created a near utopian society. the king sits with the knights of the round table with no head signifying equality and cooperation. the knights of the round table have often been compared to our own cabinet realizing that ours occurs over an oval. recently it has been attorney general sessions arguing with epa administrator pruitt over who can be lancelot. [laughter] son arthur's illegitimate returns to camelot seeking revenge, king arthur's camelot begins to crumble. the sun is indicted and convicted of inciting rebellion but does this violate his first amendment rights to free speech and association, or was he unlawfully advocating the overthrow of camelot beyond reasonable doubt? i give you the ordinary and common caveat to all

standard that we afforded the republicans when they asked for a large amount of paper trail from elena kagan. there were 170,000 pages turned over by the archives. this is a vital appointment. it could affect america for a generation. we want to see all of the documentation before we vote. we are asking the same expansive but necessary production of documents that we afforded the republicans and kagan was the nominee, be done here with kavanaugh as the nominee. >> is that in terms of the time. >> the sooner the better. were not trying to delay, we just think it's important. someone is trying to delay, but it is not me. we just think it is important to have these, the sooner the better. >> how far could you take this? is there a point where democrats might boycott the hearing altogether? >> look, the procedural ways that are available to us in the minority are not that large. there is no way that we can prevent the senate from meeting. there has been some discussion about that but it would not happen. if we did they could unanimously consent all kinds of things you would not want it to see. a

and i remain grateful to the dean who hired me, justice elena kagan. my law clerks come from diverse backgrounds and points of view. i am proud that a majority of my law clerks have been women. >> you're getting the theme. >> yes, i do. and i would point out my mom was a teacher too, and one of the reasons she ended up in minnesota is because we had good rules that protected teachers and made sure they got good pay. and those are the kinds of cases that this justice, if he was ever confirmed, would have to rule on. and when i look at, when he's talking about women in his life, i don't doubt his sincerity, but what i do doubt is where he stands on these cases. and for the first time, i think that this committee has to really push on where this nominee stands on these cases. we have had nominees that answered questions about what they thought about the dred scott case. we have had nominees that said i support brown v. board of education. we would like to delve very strongly into settled law with this nominee. i don't want to hear anymore, well, i can't c

compare the letter to what was sent for elena kagan's document and what was produced in her confirmation. in the bipartisan request to kagan, all documents that she orte, edited, or prepared that were asked for. .ot this time that request does not appear in a letter to brett kavanaugh. kagan was asked for documents that she created that worked -- that were not in other people's files and she was asked for a document that referenced her, but not this time. those requests were not made to brett kavanaugh. been discussed by senator schumer and christine, during administration, nonpartisan staff would provide documents, but this time president bush's former lawyers .re trying to take the lead does anyone doubt the documents are being thoroughly prescreened? as one senator said, i have learned over the years that transparency doesn't come easy. it requires constant oversight and pressure from the public, congress, and others. this is a lifetime appointment that will alter our country forever impacting democracy, rule of law, rights and legal protect -- legal protections for every single ameri

. >> what did elena kagan -- >> they all play the same game. but now van is saying he's so important because the seat he's filling. >> elena kagan wasn't important? >> they're all important. >> we got to where we are today with 51 votes because of harry reid. >> no, because the republicans were being -- [ overlapping voices ] >> van jones, last word. >> last word here, listen. you're never going to be able to convince people that this guy is not qualified. that's not the point. the point is on issue after issue that is important to the american people, where the majority of american people are on one side, whether it has to do with a woman a right to choose, whether it has to do with health care, he's been on the other side. this is a very dangerous moment for the country and for the prestige of the court. i think the president of the united states in a situation like this, when the republicans stole a seat and gave him one, and now he gets to do the swing vote as well, i think for him to suspect someone like this -- he's not the worst, but he'

elena kagan, a president obama appointee. >> right, after thanking and showing respect for kennedy who he clerked for. >> and don't hold your breath for how often they vote together, but that's okay. >> the numbers game. look, god willing, senator mccain is healthy enough to come in and vote. if he is not, then you really have a one-vote margin in here. do you think that they will hold ranks because everybody keeps saying it's going to be a war. it's going to be a war. but it comes down to numbers. and if they hold ranks, how do they lose? >> they don't lose if they hold ranks. plus there are a number of recei red-state democrats who will very likely have to take seriously the idea of voting for -- >> joe manchin put out a statement just minutes after this was announced, and he says, i'm going to look at it. i'm going to talk to him. my big issue is pre-existing conditions, health care. it affects a lot of people in west virginia. but he is a possible vote yes. >> and three democrats, heidi heitkamp of north dakota, joe donnelly of indiana, and was it manchin? >> yes. >> manchin of wes

he was recruited to teach at harvard law school by now-justice elena kagan. he is a man for all seasons. katty: democrats are already saying that if justice kavanaugh becomes a supreme court justice, reproductive and abortghts in this entry on the chopping block -- in this country are on the chopping block, and he will do everything he can to oppose gun control. his that fair -- ken: no -- excuse my interruption for it is quite polemical right now. it shouldn't be. have beenurg could roundly criticized by conservative republicans on the other side of the fence, and yet she wasonrmed almost unanimously. i hope that the voices that have been rising will be quieted come i' by his confident, very reassuring performance as a future justice during his confirmation hearings. i think he will make very clear, i'm open-minded and i need to hear every case on the merits, which is exactly the way he has been as a circuit judge or court of appeals judge. christian: after your investigation into bill clinton's, he wrote in 2000 and the presidential investigations are so on

we are proud of the fact that president obama chose two excellent supreme court justices, elena kagan, sonia sotomayor. president clinton selected ruth bader ginsburg and stephen breyer, all excellent choices, and frankly all who garnered republican and democratic votes. siobhan: he had mentioned republicans also being in a position to block the nomination. who are the republicans you see as most likely to flip? are by two republicans that talked about the most are susan collins, lisa murkowski, from maine and alaska. votedf those fine women against the repeals of the affordable care act because pre-existing conditions. it is now being litigated in the courts, and i should also trumpn that the administration said that pre-existing conditions are unconstitutional. i would think that both of those senators would be very concerned about that litigation, and very concerned that bret kavanaugh if confirmed, would be sitting in on a case challenging pre-existing conditions in the supreme court. and can you talk about the potential for rand paul to be something of a wild card this debate, gi

he's also taught at law schools like harvard where he was actually hired by now-justice elena kagan, who he would serve alongside, as well as teaching at georgetown and yale. and we know during the years he has been on the appellate bench, he's handed down hundreds of decisions. and let's not forget that in order to obtain that important position, the senate already confirmed him once in 2006 by a vote of 57-36. we all know this is president trump's second nomination to the supreme court after that of justice neil gorsuch just last year. justice gorsuch in his first term on the court has already demonstrated the power of his pen, the clarity of his thought, and the force of his legal reasoning, and i'm sure that justice scalia would be proud of his successor's impartiality and his rigor and his self-discipline. but based on his distinguished record, i think judge kavanaugh will display many of the same attributes that justice gorsuch has displayed on the supreme court. in coming weeks, we will hear a lot about judge kavanaugh's interesting life story, about his long career as a dedic

. >> brett kavanaugh made a point last night that he hired diverse law clerks, that elena kagan hiredsity. we saw justice kennedy surprise many with his decisions on both sides of the aisle. what's to say that justice kavanaugh won't do the same? >> well, i don't think he would have been put on this list had he not been one of these hard right judges. the two issues i mentioned are important. there are several others. at a time when we have the mueller investigation, judge kavanaugh is way at the extreme. he believes a president shouldn't even be investigated. he has gone so far as to say a president who believes the law is unconstitutional doesn't have to follow it. soueller situation, with the overreach of presidential power, we shouldn't put him on the bench. and then on gun rights, on lgbtq rights, on environmental rights, he's way to the right of the american people. i don't believe he had law clerks of some sort that that makes him any better. if the president is fulfilling his campaign promise, hired the most conservative group to come up with a list, and chose from the list. t

bret kavanaugh is a mainstream judge that he was hired by the most liberal judge supreme court elena kagan to teach at harvard. heather: we can put some of the bio right there. so, you know, liberals should like him? >> i don't think so. this morning new york times has op-ed by professor, prominent liberal professor at yale and said that bret kavanaugh is great pick and best decision that donald trump made in presidency. if bret kavanaugh is getting compliments by tried and true liberals it'll be difficult for the democrats to say this is like a crazy guy, how can you put him on the supreme court, 12 years of a judge, lead credentials, confirmed by, 21-point margin, 21 senator margin of victory when he was confirm today dc circuit and that was bipartisan, it's very difficult for the democrats to stop this. heather: but yet they are planning on trying to do that. we have senate minority chuck schumer who issued a statement that he will oppose judge kavanaugh's nomination with everything i have. the stakes are simply too high for anything else and you can read a couple of tweets that came in

then at the justice department, he worked on sonia sotomayor and elena kagan and senator to kennedy in hearings in the 1990s. deny wiesh i i think of the job as a white house pressing is. meaning, keep your mouth moving, but don't say anything of consequence. >> well, first of all, thank you for inviting me to be with you. this is an important moment as we head into the supreme court nomination process. i think you are a little cynical. you are right, nominees are on guard. they know they can hurt their candidacy by saying the right thing. they know where the pitbulls are. i think these are individuals who provide views and it gives them a sense of who these individuals are. after all, many will serve decades and this is high stakes stuff. >> so let's drill down on roe versus wade, senator collins said the following to my colleague jake tapper the other day. let's watch. >> i would not support a nominee who demonstrated hostility to voe v. wade, that would mean to me their judicial philosophy did not include a respect for established decisions, established law. >> dean wiesh, in recent

scholars says at the yale law school he deserves 90 plus votes, when people take into account that elena kagandistinguished jurist on the supreme court hired him when she was dean of the harvard law school, i think people should calm down a little bit. he is the most distinguished candidate for the supreme court of the united states sitting on the federal bench. >> one of the things that has people questioning where he will stand is whether or not he believes a sitting president can be investigated because he's had a change of heart about that. >> right. >> so when he was working with you on whitewater in 1998 and -- i guess i should say at the end of your investigation what his conclusion -- and he helped write the star report, was this. in some, perjury and acts that obstruct justice by any citizen, whether in a criminal case, in a grand jury investigation, a congressional hearing, a civil trial or discovery are profoundly serious matters. when such acts are committed by the president of the united states we believe those acts may constitute grounds for an impeachment. he believed then that

from the united state's supreme court, ruth beta ginsburg, alayna kagan -- ruth bader ginsberg, elena kagan, and member from the supreme court of canada. please enjoy the trial. >> all rise! oh ye, oh ye, oh ye, the supreme court of the kingdom of camelot is now in session. [applause] [raucous cheering] ruth bader ginsburg: everybody, please be seated. >> madam chief justice. may it please the court, as you know, the perfect weather is decreed by law, but no doubt, things have become a bit "stormy." [crowd cheering] >> yes, there has been in insurrection and the kingdom is in peril, but the prosecution of my client has been nothing but a "witch hunt." the conviction rests on three things, his enthusiastic and the possibly politically motivated investigation of treason, the expression of political ideas, and associations with knights who have a habit of stupidly whacking each other. none of that advocates a forcible overthrow the government. to comply with the first amendment, the kingdom has to prove that mordred had a specific intent to overthrow and engage in speech with a clear and prese

protects individual liberty, and i remain great fwl grateful to the dean who hired me, justice elena kagan. i hired four law clerks each year. my law clerks from diverse backgrounds and points of view. i am proud that a majority of my law clerks have been women. i am part of the vibrant catholic community in the d.c. area. the members of that community disagree about many things. but we are united by a commitment to serve. father john ensler is here. 40 years ago, i was an altar boy for father john. these days i help him serve meals to the homeless at catholic charities. i have two spirited daughters. margaret and liza. margaret loves sports. and she loves to read. liza loves sports, and she loves to talk. i have tried to create bonds with my daughters like my dad created with me. for the past seven years, i've coached my daughter's basketball teams. the girls on the team call me coach k. [ laughter ] i am proud of our blessed sacrament team that just won the city championship. [ applause ] my daughters and i also go to lots of games. our favorite memory was going to the historic notre dam

she has more judicial experience than a lake and -- elena kagan had when she was appointed.ll other things being equal, a long and clear judicial record is a plus, but sometimes there are competing considerations. clerked forw you justice alito. do you put some credence for the fact she clerked for justice scalia, whoustice was the modern-day spokesperson for original is an, as you call , as you callalism it? ed: yes, that means a lot to me. at allare you concerned about life experience when you appoint people to the bench? i don't think we have anyone on the bench right now who is -- who has actually run the company or met a payroll or hired and fired people? fair amount of their docket is involved with real-life situations. ed: true. we draw justices from the core of lawyers, for better or worse. judging is a craft. be, again, a plus to have some experience running a company, i don't really think that that is meaningful and how to apply the laws congress has enacted. : that's interesting. when you come to apply securities laws, you do not think it is helpful to have been t