judge kavanaugh is exactly that kind of a judge. he understands that writing the laws is not his job, hasn't been his job on the circuit court. would not be his job on the supreme court. he gave a speech last year in which he said that congress and the president, not the courts, possess the authority and the responsibility to legislate. let me repeat that. congress and the president, not the courts, possess the authority and responsibility to legislate. now, the third thing that i expect to happen in this whole process is that we will vote on judge kavanaugh's nomination before the next supreme court session starts in october. it's what the american people want us to do. nbc news did a recent poll. they found that 62% of americans want us to vote on this nomination before the november election. only 33% said we should wait. but democrats want to delay. they want to delay the process. the american people are saying get on with it. it's early july now. we're going to work through the month of august. it gives us plenty of time to cons

that's from judge kavanaugh. if there is any indication as to why we need those documents from the time when he was staff secretary to president bush, it s the words of judge kavanaugh himself. if we want to know what kind of justice he will be, we need to understand the decisions he's made and the lessons he's arned in that most formative job. if we refuse even to try, we have an did i dated our constitutional responsibility. -- we have abdicated our constitutional responsibility. we have a duty. i submit with great respect the request made by the chairman of the judiciary committee involves all of us abdicating that responsibility unless we protest and raise a hue and cry and force production of additional documents. this goes beyond any sort of partisan divide. it goes beyond the question of whether any of my colleagues are voting for or against judge kavanagh. it is about our constitutional responsibility. these documents as judge avenal himself has said, in effect, ould reveal much about judge kavanaugh as h

prior to judge kavanaugh's selection, president trump promised to nominate a judge who, quote, would do the right thing, unlike judge roberts, on health care, unquote. those are president trump's words. he commissioned a list of judges from the heritage foundation, of far-right special interest group dedicated to dismantling government including and especially the health care law. that's the place where the government spends a lot of money, and these rich people who are behind the heritage foundation, the kochs and others, they don't want to pay any taxes, those poor folks. sore -- they are so struggling. and where do those taxes go more than any other? health care. because that's what the american people want. who wouldn't -- who wouldn't give everything they have if their spouse, their child, their relative was sick and needed a lot of money to be cured? that's why we have insurance and that's why we have the government involved with things like social security and medicare and medicaid. but the heritage foundation, the handful of rich people who fund them and the so many republica

louis found that judge kavanaugh would be the second most conservative justice on the court, to the right of judge gorsuch and second only to justice thomas. this is the most conservative yearswe have had in 80-90 , since the 1930's at a very minimum. thaty to those who say president trump has made a moderate selection from the judicial mainstream in the form of judge kavanaugh, think again and look at his record. he is a deeply conservative justice and his judicial philosophy appears to spring from his history. judge kavanaugh was embedded in the partisan fights of the past few decades, the notorious starr report, the florida recount, president bush's secrecy and privilege claims once in office, and ideological judicial fights throughout the bush era. the hard right has had a goal. they can achieve their hard right philosophy through the two elected branches of government, tries they might -- try as they might. the congress, the president, but if they get control of the one nonelected branch, the judiciary, they can turn the clock back in america decades, maybe centuries. that has been t

prior to judge kavanaugh's selection, president trump promised to nominate a judge who, quote, would do the right thing, unlike judge roberts, on health care, unquote. those are president trump's words. he commissioned a list of judges from the heritage foundation, of far-right special interest group dedicated to dismantling government including and especially the health care law. that's the place where the government spends a lot of money, and these rich people who are behind the heritage foundation, the kochs and others, they don't want to pay any taxes, those poor folks. sore -- they are so struggling. and where do those taxes go more than any other? health care. because that's what the american people want. who wouldn't -- who wouldn't give everything they have if their spouse, their child, their relative was sick and needed a lot of money to be cured? that's why we have insurance and that's why we have the government involved with things like social security and medicare and medicaid. but the heritage foundation, the handful of rich people who fund them and the so many republica

if he happened to be -- if he's confirmed, judge kavanaugh will be the eighth. his background, his training, his work as a circuit judge appear to qualify him in a significant way. he was a supreme court clerk for judge kennedy, and judge kennedy, by the way, this is something we also ought to be sure we're understanding what's happening here, has been on the court for 30 years, filling a vacancy created in 1987, serving on the court for 15 years after the person that nominated him to the court died. talk about long-term impact of both the president who nominates and the senate who confirms, three decades of impact on one of the branches of government is pretty substantial. now, with -- in addition to being a clerk for judge kennedy, judge kavanaugh was, as i said, he was not only in the private sector, but for five years he served in the bush administration, probably the most important job he had in that administration was just simply seeing that things got done in an orderly way that produced a result. that job in 2006, president bush nominated him to serve on

judge kavanaugh is not that kind of judge. he interprets the constitution as written. he interprets our laws as written. he follows the separation of powers and leaves policymaking to -- brett kavanaugh is one of the most respected judges in our country for good reason. because he is a real judge. he has been an intellectual leader of one of the nation's most important courts for over a decade. he has heard thousands of cases and issued hundreds of opinions. is a brilliant thinker, powerful writer, and a kind and humble man. i cannot think of a better person to fill justice kennedy's seat than a former clerk. because justice kennedy is a kind and humble man and he is excited about having this nominee take his place. after all of the kicking and screaming last year, after all of the misrepresentations, we confirmed neil gorsuch to the supreme court. we did so because he was unquestionably qualified, because he demonstrated a firm understanding of the proper role under the constitution. like neil gorsuch, brett kavanaugh is unquestionably qualified. like neil gorsuch, bre

and judge kavanaugh demonstrated that in our system of government, judges interpret the law. they don't make the law, they interpret them. policymaking is for the other branches of government. now in a rational world, the judge's nomination would be confirmed by the senate overwhelmingly. i don't think there is a question about that. his qualifications are unquestioned. his integrity is beyond reproach and he is respected through the country as one of the nation's leading jurists sadly however we don't live in a national world at least not when it comes to the supreme court. we saw this last year our democratic colleagues attacked and unqualified. they had incited often enough with the right sort but he wouldn't do enough to protect the little guy when deciding cases. they didn't think that they would rule the way they would wear that he would reach liberal enough outcomes. of course they couldn' couldn'tt directly as they would have given the whole game away and shown the opposition was just about politics which is exactly what it was. so they latched onto a couple of casesc

insurance companies to potentially be on the chopping block him in my view likely to go with judge kavanaugh becomes justice kavanaugh. howan can we afford that? the american people should have their eyes wide open. the supreme court made the challenge to the legal protections for people with preexisting conditions and president trump some justice department is currently are doing those protections are unconstitutional. one of the rallies to tell the people at the rally for taking away their protections when they have someone with preexisting family. he wouldn't dare. he wouldn't dare. that is what his legal department in hhs injustice is doing. that doesn't tell people what he's doing. he says i'm with you. he whispers them with you. you don't dare tell the american people. that is why it is our job by a much show in spine on this issue. it is our job to let the american people know their thhealth care zen. if anyone doesn't believe that president trump is still intent on tearing down our health care system, just look at what the administration did yesterday. the president c estimated fundi

[applause] judge kavanaugh has devoted his life to public service. r the last 12 years, he has served as a judge on the d.c. circuit court of appeals with great distinction offering opinions which have been widely admired for their skill, insight and rigorous adherence to the law. of those opinions, there are more than a dozen that the supreme court has adopted as the law of the land. beyond his great renown as a judge, he is active in his community. he coaches cyo basketball, serves meals to needy families, and having learned from his mom who is a schoolteacher in d.c., tutors children at local elementary schools. there is no one in america more qualified for this position, and no one more deserving. i want to thank the senator is on both sides of the aisle, republican or democrat, for their consultation and advice during the selection process. this incredibly qualified at nominee deserves a swift confirmation and robust bipartisan support. the rule of law is our nation's proud heritage. it is the cornerstone of our freedom. it is what guarantees equ

trump: judge kavanaugh has devoted his life to public service. for the last 12 years, he has served as a judge on the d.c. circuit court of appeals with great distinction, authoring over 300 opinions which have been widely admired for their skill, insight and rigorous adherence to the law. among those opinions are more than a dozen that the supreme court has adopted as the law of the land. beyond his great renown as a judge, he is active in his community. he coaches cyo basketball, serves meals to needy families, and having learned from his mom who is a schoolteacher in d.c., tutors children at local elementary schools. there is no one in america more qualified for this position, and no one more deserving. i want to thank the senators on both sides of the aisle, republican and democrat, for their consultation and advice during the selection process. this incredibly qualified nominee deserves a swift confirmation and robust bipartisan support. the rule of law is our nation's proud heritage. it is the cornerstone of our freedom. it is what guarantee

judicial credentials as strong as those of judge kavanaugh. another liberal law professor called him a, quote, highly qualified, mainstream conservative judge. he cited judge kavanaugh's reasoning as, quote, an example of the judging ideal, setting aside ideology and party politics and just trying to get the law right. that's a former law -- liberal law professor. he said, judge kavanaugh gives, quote, an independent judiciary the job it is supposed to do -- interpret the law. you know, there are lawyers who appear before judges in court and there are lawyers who appear before judge kavanaugh who have said the same thing. there are surveys of these lawyers -- and i am not a lawyer. i haven't done these sorts of things. but i understand there are surveys of lawyers who appear before judges in court, people who have won cases, people who have lost cases, but they've put up their ideas of what they thought about the judge afterwards and across the board they call him an excellent judge. they say that he, quote, had as a history of excellent legal

by all accounts, judge kavanaugh is precisely that kind of judge. his resume, to put it simply, is topnotch. a bachelor's degree from yale with honors. a law degree also from yale where he was a member of the law review, a lecturing 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 choo

judge kavanaugh is straight out of central casting. a judge would've been strongly considered by any republican president. graduate of yale law school. clerked for justice anthony kennedy. joining me now to analyze the pick is brit hume, former whitewater independent counsel ken starr who was judge kavanaugh's boss during the investigations into bill clinto bill clinton. justice walker. and at the white house, leonard leo, the president's top outside advisor on judicial picks. leonard, we've got to go to you first. congratulations. you are kind of the men of the moment because you've been working this process behind the scenes. we were both in that room together when brett kavanaugh walked out. his father comes out first, his mother. mrs. scalia was there. two sons of mr. scalia and general niece, edwin meese from the reagan administration, former attorney general. what is you feel? i know what i felt. >> a tremendous sense of history going all the way back to the reagan administration. the idea of transforming the federal judiciary to

so it was good to catch up with judge kavanaugh. i've followed his career closely in the interim, obviously, he served as a circuit court judge in the d.c. circuit court. some might call it the second most important court in the nation. and that's primarily because it's located here in the district of columbia, and most of the major cases involving administrative authority, federal power end up finding their way one way or the other through the d.c. circuit court of appeals. so he's had a a great judicial career over the last 12 years written on a variety of topics. i would say that he's a pretty well known quantity. while you're going to hear a lot of demands for additional disinformation i'm all for as much transparency as can be provided and senators certainly have a right to get their hands on as much information about the nominee and his qualifications, his background, how he might perform as a supreme court justice, i hope this doesn't turn into a delay of game tactic. he's had a long career in the government, worked at the whi

by all accounts, judge kavanaugh is precisely that kind of judge. his resume, to put it simply, is topnotch. a bachelor's degree from yale with honors. a law degree also from yale where he was a member of the law review, a lecturing 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 choo

we're already seeing an attempt at borking judge kavanaugh. i was in the senate when liberal groups and some of my colleagues smeared the highly respected judge bork after he was nominated for the supreme court. judge bork was very candid with the senate judiciary committee. he was unfairly attacked for being so candid. we're seeing liberal groups and their senate allies try to replace -- replicate this shameful episode. but since the nomination of justice ginsburg to the supreme court, the tradition has been for nominees to, in her words, give, quote, no hints, no forecasts, no previews, end of quote, of how she would vote and it applies to how he would address certain cases. the minority leader in a press conference last year affirmed that, quote, there is a grand tradition that i support that you can't ask a judicial nominee about a special case that might come before them. that's exactly the ginsburg rule. and i expect if he wants to be on the supreme court, not only for the sake of being on the supreme court, getting there, but to serve th

some of our colleagues will demand that judge kavanaugh reveal how he would rule in a particular case in exchange for their vote. well, how corrupt would that be to insist that the judge tell you ahead of time how he would rule in a particular case in exchange for a vote for confirmation? that would be clearly wrong. and it would be wrong for any judge without hearing the case, the arguments of the lawyers, the facts of the case to prejudge an outcome. that, again, is not what judges do. they don't run for office based on a political platform like the political branches of government do. those of us who run for office in the senate or the house, we're happy to talk about what we believe in, what we would do if elected to office, but that's not what judges are supposed to do. what's more, there is clear precedent for resisting those sorts of guarantees ahead of time. justice route bader ginsburg said in her own confirmation that that sort of assurance is completely inappropriate. justice ginsburg gave what i believe is the correct response to such requests, saying she would offer no hi

here's what judge kavanaugh argued. that the trump administration should keep a young woman in detention and allow her to make her own choice about medical care. and amazingly, he said the court should consider a constitutional challenge to the healthcare law, the affordable care act, and openly criticized the supreme court decision to uphold the affordable care act, including america's right now to protect pre-existing conditions and still get insurance. president trump has litmus tests. president trump had litmus tests. judge judge kavanaugh was rollig stone stopping those places here he is even argued that sitting presidents should not face criminal investigation. no investigation of a president. is it any wonder that president trump chose him from the list of 25? when we know he is obsessed with this investigation? he even said that the president doesn't have to follow along if the president deems it, his words, unconstitutional. with this president who has had so little respect for rule of law, who was shown he wil

so that brings us to judge kavanaugh. mr. president, you may remember, last year the federal government was sued by an undocumented teenage girl. they were keeping her in detention in texas. she discovered she was pregnant while in detention and tried to obtain an abortion. judge kavanaugh wanted to force her to delay the proceeding, presumably until it was no longer legal under texas law for her to obtain an abortion in that state. when he was overruled by the full d.c. circuit, he complained in a dissent that his colleagues were creating a right to, quote, abortion on demand, end quote. does that sound like someone who is going to strike down state laws that create undue barriers to abortion access or does it sound like somebody who had no problem with forcing a teenage girl to carry a pregnancy to term? there is also another case percolating out of texas which could have even graver consequences for tens of millions of americans. the state of texas and 17 other republican states have sued the federal government, claiming t

judge brett kavanaugh.irmation would swing the balance of the high court to the right and could lead to a revisiting of such issues as abortion and gay marriage. anthony kennedy cast the deciding vote in the landmark case that recognized the right of same-sex couples to marry, but there is concern in the lgbt community that his departure or will inspire challenges that would force the court to revisit that 2015 case. it is an issue that hits home for my next two guests who were one of the two plaintiff couples in the proposition 8 lawsuit that restored marriage equality in california. and, ultimately, made its way to the supreme court. with me now, jeffer is april low and paul khatami, welcome, gentlemen. >> thanks for having me. kennedy: so how big of an issue is this nomination in the lgbt community? >> well, it's certainly a big issue, and it certainly has our community a little bit on edge. justice kennedy had certainly left a legacy on the court for protecting minorities and especially the lgbt communi

he spoke on the nomination of judge kavanaugh to the supreme court. unfortunately he didn't come to the floor to talk about the judge's excellent qualifications, the judge's well-regarded temperament or the judge's judicial philosophy. he didn't come to the floor to announce that he would finally extend the courtesy of a meeting to the judge, which is customary in this body. he came to speak about what he thinks will satisfy left-wing outside groups. he demands that i sign a letter that would put the american taxpayers on the hook for a democratic fishing expedition, and i'm not going to do that. now i agree that we should have a thorough vetting process for the nominee, and we will, and that we should review materials that will reveal judge kavanaugh's legal thinking. that's our job. we're not going to be a rubber stamp. fortunately for us we have immediate access to the most valuable documents that are out there that reveal judge kavanaugh's legal thinking. we have access to more than 300 opinions judge kavanaugh authored in his 12 years on the d.c.

[applause] >> judge kavanaugh has devoted his life to public service. for the last 12 years, he has served as a judge on the d.c. circuit court of appeals with great distinction, authoring over 300 opinions which have been widely admired for their skill, insight and rigorous adherence to the law. among those opinions are more than a dozen that the supreme court has adopted as the law of the land. beyond his great renown as a judge, he is active in his community. he coaches cyo basketball, serves meals to needy families and, having learned from his mom -- who is a schoolteacher in d.c -- tutors children at local elementary schools. there is no one in america more qualified for this position and no one more deserving. i want to thank the senators on both sides of the aisle, republican and democrat, for their consultation and advice during the selection process. this incredibly qualified nominee deserves a swift confirmation and robust, bipartisan support. the rule of law is our nation's proud heritage. it is the cornerstone of our freedom. it is what guara

if justice kennedy was a swing what to the center on that court, judge kavanaugh would swing the supreme court to the far right. kavanaugh's record has shown consistently that if given a choice between corporations and consumers, he is a reliable ally a big business. time and again. given the choice between polluters and public health, he consistently finds illegal escape for the polluters. deciding between the freedom of women to plan their own families and the strong hand of government, women lose in kavanaugh's courts. his views on the second amendment are straight out of the gun lobby playbook. washington, d.c. where he grew up would be wild west d.c. if judge kavanaugh had his way. here is a presidential tweets you will never read. just in the nick of time, the president found a supreme court nominee who is on record saying the president should not be distracted with criminal investigations and prosecutions while in office. he would be the deciding vote on the court to change the rules in america for the next generation. gathered our number of my colleagues, we will have our opportu

is he aware of judge kavanaugh's writing from 2009 when judge kavanaugh said the indictment and trial of a sitting president would cripple the federal government rendering it unable to function with credibility in either the international and domestic arenas. is president trump aware of that? >> the president trump and white house are aware of all of judge kavanaugh's public record but what we are focused son if you look at his writings there are some that would emphasize greater power for the executive. some that would limit the power. some that would put a ruling on one or another side of a specific issue but there all of the opinions and writing is an individual who interprets the law and the constitution as it was written and doesn't legislate from the bench. >> does the president agree with the 2009 writing? >> i haven't asked the president about that writing but i will say overall he finds judge kavanaugh through his many opinions and writings and decade plus of service now in the d.c. court of appeals to be an individual of the highest caliber, an individual is more than fit to

a former law clerk to judge brett kavanaugh joins me next. t establishment pick? rmer law clerk to judge brett kavanaugh joins me next. (vo) why are subaru outback owners always smiling? because they've chosen the industry leader. subaru outback holds its value better than any other vehicle in its class, according to alg. better than rav4. better than grand cherokee. better than edge. make every adventure a happy one with subaru outback. get 0% apr financing on the 2018 subaru outback. a hotel can make or break a trip. and at expedia, we don't think you should be rushed into booking one. that's why we created expedia's add-on advantage. now after booking your flight, you unlock discounts on select hotels right until the day you leave. ♪ add-on advantage. discounted hotel rates when you add on to your trip. only when you book with expedia. >> harris: we're working on the story from many angles today about the u.s. supreme court pick by the president of the united states. president republicans praising the president's supreme court nominee, brett kavanaugh, as a judg

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 rule of law or what federal courts plan our democracy. so, i respectfully submit that then and now, some of our democratic colleagues seem to me to be confused. they seem to be confusing the nature of a political office with the nature of the judicial office. this would be explain why some of our colleagues were eager to turn judicial confirmations into political elections. to gri

that judge kavanaugh or anyone else on the lives would uphold roe v. insults the intelligence of the american people. >> women lose in kavanaugh's courts. >> he's a respected juryist. >> his report speaks for itself. >> his views are outside the mainstream and every reason to believe he would overturn roe. >> they ought to give the man a

by all accounts, judge kavanaugh is precisely that judge. resume to put it simply is top-notch. his bachelor's degree 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.

for me, judge kavanaugh, shame on you. but you won't fool me twice. brett kavanaugh has broken pledges and impacted the lives of just about every american. it may affect americans with preexisting conditions who risk losing access to health care as well as a woman's right to make her own decisions. he fought hard won workers rights, consumer protections and civil rights enacted into law over decades for the protections of future generations. he affected the independence of our judiciary in three separate coequal branches of our government founded by our founding fathers to make sure no citizens, no citizens, not even the president of the united states is above the law. judge kavanaugh has broken pledges that affect the water we drink, the air we breathe, and the world we will leave to our children and our children's children. today we seek to shine light on brett kavanaugh's environmental record, one which, sadly, all too often puts the interest of polluters ahead of the public. one such example is mr. kavanaugh's rejection of the e.p.a. good neighbor

when judge kavanaugh was in the white house, maybe he was just a traffic cop as senator cornyn has claimed or an honest rocher, as the judge described himself at his confirmation hearing. true, whatthat is are they hiding? why do they need to conceal them? we should have the opportunity to determine whether judge kavanaugh truly was an honest rocher, just a traffic cop, just passing documents through his hands without any input, the best way to do it is by reviewing those documents. mr. president, judge kavanaugh made this point when he was an appellate court nominee at his confirmation hearing. he answered "that is done through an assessment of going back, in my case, 16 years of my career and looking at the kinds of things i have done in the staff secretary's office, we should heed those words, they are the words of judge kavanaugh. we should examine all the documents. it may take some additional time to review all those documents, .ut maybe not if there is nothing in there that relates to his view and his opinion and his role, if he was just a traffic cop or an honest rocher, we can get

judge kavanaugh is straight out of central casting. d've been strongly considered by any republican president. graduate of yale law school.

(appluse) judge kavanaugh has devoted his life to public service. for the last twelve years, hes rved as a judge on the d.c. circuit court of appeals with great distinction, authoring over 300 opinions, which have been widely admir for their skill, insight and rigorous adherence to the law among those opinions are more than a dozen that the supreme courtdo has aed as the law of the land. beyond h great renown as a judge, he is active in hisy. commun he coaches cyo basketball,o serves mealsedy families, and having learned from his mom, who is a school tcher in d.c., local children at elementary schools. there is no one in america moreh qualified fos position and no one more deserving. i want to thank the senators on both sides of eisle, republican and democrat, for their consultation and advice during the selection process. this incredibly qualified minee deserves a swift confirmation and bust bipartisan support. the rule of law is our natios proud heritage. it is the cornerstone of our freedom. it is what guarantees equal justice. and the senate now

and here is what judge kavanaugh himself said. he said that, quote, my three years as staff secretary for president bush were the most interesting and in many ways the most instructive. kavanaugh himself says that the very documents that we want to see and republicans are blocking us from seeing are the most instructive. shouldn't the american people see the writings of what their own nominee calls the most instructive? as staff secretary, kavanaugh said he, quote, participated in the process of putting together legislation, unquote. he drafted and revised executive orders. he consulted on judicial nominations, including the replacement of chief justice rehnquist. isn't that something we'd want to know what his thoughts were about who should be a justice? wouldn't that really inform us of what kind of justice he might be? he was one of the most senior officials in the bush white house, one of only 17 out of hundreds of presidential aides who was paid the maximum white house salary. i'm sure he deserved it. that's not the issue. the

little respect for rule of law, who has shown he will , it isr democratic norms no wonder he chose judge kavanaugh, whose views are more extreme than just about anyone else on that list. mcconnell told the president there were other nominees. why did the president stick with kavanaugh? because he is worried. that mr. mueller will go to the court and ask the president be subpoenaed, and ask to do other things necessary to move the investigation foreword and president trump knows kavanaugh will be a barrier to preventing that investigation. the room if occasions battle will last a generation and more. i'm going to fight this nomination with everything i've got. the american people must join us and speak loudly. clearly. now. we must've feet judge kavanaugh's nomination to the bench to save women's reproductive freedom, to save health care protections to save the rights and freedoms all americans enjoy. that is what is at stake in this fight. that is why we are going to give it everything we've got. let me now call on my good friend for many years, senator

jennifer was a clerk under judge kavanaugh in 2006. kavanaugh at yale law school. we have seen this tempt by carnival barkers to characterize judge kavanaugh as something he is not. jennifer, having clerked with him and you are a law professor now. lawyers are human beings also and complex individuals. what can you tell the audience about this man? >> he is very approachable and good natured. an independent and fair minded judge. "usa today" wrote about him, on paper he may be the most qualified supreme court nominee in many decades. he approaches every case with an open mind and would keep doing that on the d.c. circuit. >> it's good to hear that. we hear that she is smart and nice. they can't deny those things. jd, from your experience, there will be such incredible pressure. these are human stories. it's about the human condition. you have nice people. he is smart. been through the ringer before. how do you expect this process to affect him? what do you expect when he gets on the supreme court, when i fully expect, do you think he w

the president nominated judge brett kavanaugh to the u.s. supreme court. >> what matters is not a judge's political views but whether they can set aside those views to do what the law and the constitution require. i am pleased to say that i have found without doubt such a person. throughout legal circles, he is considered a judge's judge. a true thought leader among his pierce. a -- peers. regarded as one of the finest and sharpest legal minds of our time. there is no one in america more qualified for this position does no one more deserving. >> sean: the president placed his faith behind judge kavanaugh to send a constitutionalist to the highest court in the land. during the announcement judge kavanaugh gave us a glimpse into what his is his judicial philosophy. let's look at that. >> my judicial philosophy is straightforward. a judge must be independent and must interpret the law and not make the law. a judge must interpret statutes as written and must interpret the constitution as written. informed by history and tradition and president. >

. >> i've just had a pleasant conversation with judge kavanaugh. he and i have not interacted a lot in our lifetime, so getting acquainted with him again is very important. he's a respected jurist and the court he sits on, outstanding opinions that i think are going to be gone through by every lawyer at least on our committee. we're going to have a thorough process. hopefully it's efficient. we get it done quickly. you know, but he's going to be thorough, and it's going to be done right, and try to do what we can to accommodate everybody's interest. in the end, i think his record speaks for itself. it is the most outstanding thing that affords this person a chance for confirmation in the united states senate. >> so, jeff peck, exchanging pleasantries with the chairman there but there are some important individual meetings come up with what the "wall street journal" calls seven key candidates. how important are these meetings, these visits to the hill? >> i think they're pretty important but they pale in comparison to the actual hearings. these are

one is the affordable care act and what judge kavanaugh said about that. you are going to have senator warren on soon. judge said it was environmental. it is a fourth element of his confirmation i expect democrats to have very hard questions about. >> i am taking notes on my questions for senator warren who will be joining us in a minute. thank you for starting off our discussion tonight. coming up, senator elizabeth warren will join us. we will get her reaction to this nominee coming up. how will brett kavanaugh rule in a trump versus mueller case? to your bumper, cause.... i don't think enough people heard about your big day. but nothing says "we got married" like a 12 ounce piece of scrap metal. yo! we got married! honk if you like joint assets. now you're so busy soaking up all this attention, you don't see the car in front of you. and if i can crash your "perfect day", imagine what i can do to the rest of 'em. so get allstate, and be better protected from mayhem. like me. i'm begging you... take gas-x.ed beneath the duvet your tossing and turning isn't