I am here to tell anybody in the country who listens that this is so hypocritical of my friends on the other side. When it was their president , kavanaugh was right. We are talking about roe v. Wade, it was okay to promise the nation that it would never be overturned. It is okay to pick a democratic staff member of this committee, but it is not okay to pick somebody who has been a lifelong republican. People see through this. You had a chance, and you lost. If you were to pick judges from uruguay to thinking, and you had better win and election. I voted for two of your choices. I got a lot of stuff. I would suggest that you think long and hard if you have a political ambition of voting for this guy, because i thought they were qualified by any reasonable measure given the history of the senate. We have turned the history of the senate upside down. I have found that they were different than i would have picked, but by any reasonable measure, they were qualified. You have been lent on the court for 12 years. You have 307 decisions. You have been approved before. I hope the people in the country understand this game. It is a game that i am sad to be part of. It has gotten really bad. The antidote to our problem in this country when it comes to judges and politics is not to deny you a place on the Supreme Court. This exactly where you need to be. This is exactly the time that you need to be there. I am telling President Trump, you do some things that drive me crazy, you do some great things. You have never done anything better in my view than to pick kavanaugh. You had an opportunity to put wellqualified conservatives on the court, men steeped in the rule of law who apply analysis, not politics in their decisionmaking. And you knocked it out of the park. My friends on the other side, you cannot lose the election and pick judges. If you are to pick judges, you had better win. Let me tell everybody what the rest of the day holds for u us. Judge kavanaugh, you can take a break now. We had originally scheduled for 15 minutes, and it may take 15 minutes, but we have to put in a different table for the people that will introduce you. So, if your staff will watch, and if we get done in 15 minutes, i would like to start as soon as the table is set. We will take a 15 minute break now, and we have the introducer introducers. And we will give the oath to the nominee. And then, we will hear the statement from the nominee. And then, we will adjourn until 9 30 tomorrow morning. As tomorrow morning, my approach is going to be the same worth the 30 minutes as it would be for the 5 minutes that we normally have, and otherwise, a normal hearing. And that is, if you have one second left, you can ask a question, but dont take all day to ask a question. And i hope that you can give a short answer if your time is up. Then, we will move on to the next person. So, i want tomorrow not to happen maybe you had better speak to myself. Im not going to let happen tomorrow what i shouldnt have let happen today, because i have been instructed people that run committees, either you run the committee, or it runs you. You guys have been very successful today in running the committee. I dont want it to happen tomorrow. Take your time, until we get the table set. Recess. Neil all right, Bret Kavanaugh is taking a 15 minute break. Welcome everyone, im neil cavuto and this is your world. It must be tough to have to sit there and take it all. The good, the bad, and everything in between. The protest and got so bad that judge kavanaugh had to get his kids out of the room because it was getting to be a ruckus there. This was an opportunity for the judge kavanaugh to be introduced by Condoleezza Rice, we will also hear from ohio senator and last but not least will be a partner of the firm of arnold and porter. Just to give a little perspective as she is a former justice and a selfdescribed liberal feminist who has spoken glowingly of the judge. Lindsey graham who was one of the last to speak, you might have heard, was addressing reporters. The process was rather problematic. A lot about democrats who suggested that you should never indict a sitting president because it would create chaos. If you want to do something, it should come to the congress. This is what mr. Kavanaugh said many years ago. In 1998, he was a source of wisdom, now he is a threat to the public. This is shaping up to be a hypocrisy hearing. I will be there at every turn pointing it out. On executive power, the opinion is pretty well known i think he has, too. I would say that there is a general rule. You do not issue indictments close to election. I think that is his point. No republican no democrat is immune from being prosecuted. There is a general belief around town in the past, that when you get within a certain time period in the election, you dont do that. Im not suggesting that these prosecutions are politically motivated. Im not suggesting that they are wrong. What i am suggesting is that Jeff Sessions and the president do not have a healthy relationship. Every president deserves an attorney general that they can work with and have confidence and. Having said that, if there is an effort for sessions to be replaced or should he resign, it should occur after the election, not before. The person taking that responsibility over will have to tell me, you, and everybody in this country when it comes to the mueller investigation, i will let it proceed forward without political interference. That cometh to me, as the price of admission for the new attorney general. It would serve the country very well to have a competent attorney general in the eyes of the president , at the same time, reject the mueller investigation. I think you could do both, if the president chooses to replace senator sessions as a friend. This is clearly not working between the two of them. In opening questioning, these indictments, dont go after republicans, what is that tell people . I trust the justice system. Senator seasons was indicted before the election. It cost him the election. He wound up getting cleared. There has to be some sensitivity and politics and the law. But no politician is above the law. None of us. You need to have good judgment when it comes to when to proceed and i prosecution. I think that is what the president is talking about. I have no belief at all that either one of these prosecutions were inappropriate. Thank you. Do you think the president has a healthy relationship neil the subject quickly away from the Bret Kavanaugh confirmation, and our frustration that the president has shown. He retreated about it over the weekend. His rage is palpable right now. The senator is good friends with both men, obviously and was caught in the middle to say, if you dont have the support of the president , that could be a problem here. So far, Jeff Sessions did not appear to be going anywhere. We have a bit of a break here going on in the set of hearings that will commence in about 10 minutes. You have heard a good deal from democrats in todays hearings saying that they dont have all the paperwork that they need from Bret Kavanaugh. This goes back to the records that he had during the administration of george w. Bush. His role as an associate counsel and as a staff secretary. As a staff secretary there, he was responsible, that was mr. Kavanaugh for all of the documents that would pass through the white house and ultimately get signed out or supported or detailed by then president bush. They want that information, democrats with that information. They say they have only 10 of it. But 85,000 documents that they do have dwarf the number of documents and paperwork that we have gotten on the last five Supreme Court justice x combine combined. Peter on capitol hill. That is not going over well with democrats regardless. What is this . They just feel that they dont have enough. They want to delay until they do, right . Right. And neil, some of these democrats rumored for running for president only waited a few seconds this morning before they tried to derail the hearing. Well, senator harris waited about 5 minutes before it she came forward to interrupt with a motion to adjourn the hearing. Democrats tried and failed to adjourn it. The reason that it did not work is because republicans say they do not have a leg to stand on. The democrats want to wait until republicans produce more documents relating to kavanaughs resume. Republicans argued that because democrats are not focusing on very much on the ruling that kavanaugh has made, they are not doing their arguments any favors. So far, it was reserved just for opening arguments, kavanaugh had to sit there while democrat lawmakers were criticizing him and take it all in and take some notes. He did not say anything today. That is for tomorrows session which is going to go late into the night. Neil we got word today that in arizona, the senate, obviously he was acting as supporting and introduce the senators, so it is safe to say it is a guaranteed yes vote. Many arrived on capitol hill to cast his vote, it takes a tad bit of pressure off, not a whole lot in this confirmation process. Because, john mccain had been lingering, he would not have been able to make the vote. It would have been more pressure to find other boats. Is it your sense now that some of those democratic senators, particularly in states where they are up for reelection now, very big win states for donald trump, that a senator in indiana and others, and West Virginia are more likely and under more pressure now to vote for kavanaugh, or is it simply too early . It is way too early, just because, nobody has actually heard kavanaugh answer a question under the scrutiny where you have lawmakers who have a whole page full of god you questions. Protesters are screaming their lungs out. A situation there where the democrats are trying to coordinate with each other to throw him off. Until democrats see if that strategy works or doesnt work, its probably pretty unlikely that even a red state democrat, a trump state democrat would come out and say that they support kavanaugh. Neil peter, thank you very, very much. Postponing move, or anything to delay this nomination even passed the november election, so that they might have the democratic senate, and obviously, this nomination would be all but torpedoed in that event. Its hard to gauge. But they are making the issue the paperwork from the time. He was a lawyer in the Bush Administration and oversaw old documents that pass through that White House Administration and staff secretary. The judge is here with us on how he is reading all of this. There is a lot of information there, judge. It is best left not addressed to the public as it is privileged information. The democrats say that until they get it, there is no reason to go on. The democrats have conceded that this is a lost cause and have made an effort to block the confirmation unless they can find something in documents to pry it loose of those boats. Those are two things they are looking for. They are looking for kavanaugh as young lawyer, not at the president s secretary came about as a lawyer working for Alberto Gonzales when he was the white house Legal Counsel signing off on torture. That would try loose senator rand paul. Also looking for comments made by him and memos that they think he made, but they have not seen, which is critical of roe vs. Wade. That would pry loose senator collins. If they cannot do that, then, their goals, since there is very little attack it for, his qualifications are so extraordinary, his experience is so vast, his opinions of a judge are public, and everyone can read them. Their goal is to attack the process and say, there must be something in these documents, otherwise, why would you be keeping them from us . That is a way to gin up their base against the president and against the republicans. That is how i read what they did this morning. They were terribly rude, and awfully impertinent to senator grassley. That tough hold iowa farmer that he has was not going to let them get under his skin. Neil it is almost the curse of having i did not mean to call him old, experienced iowa farmer. Neil he has quite a paper trail. Almost too much of one which can go the other way. That gets in the way, too. 309 published opinions. A half dozen law review articles. Over 100 speeches were everywhere it was recorded verbatim. Im talking about speeches to law schools and legal groups. Not political, but serious, indepth discussions of the law. Everything that they want to know about him is out there. If they can create the suspicion or the fear at the white house is hiding something about him, then they can attack the process and that she ends up their base even though they know he will lose, and confirm. Stu and the democrats are guaranteed no vote except in states that you mentioned. Correct. Now, if all the republicans about to confirm him, then Chuck Schumer releases the democrats to vote in favor of him, because it will help their reelections. If it comes down to one or two boats, look for the democrats sticking in lockstep. Neil the rise of those that will be introducing judge kavanaugh here. This is an opportunity for the ohio senator to speak on his behalf as well. And finally after all of that, a chance for Bret Kavanaugh to Say Something. Lets continue here. I am really honored to join lisa black and rob portman in introducing judge kavanaugh in this hearing in consideration of his confirmation as a Supreme Court of the United States of america. My personal relationship with judge kavanaugh goes back 17 years to our time as white house colleagues in the administration of george w. Bush. Those were remarkable times, and i love serving. They were, however, not easy times. And to the guidance and counsel of those with whom i worked was both a joy and a blessing. I am so grateful to have had Bret Kavanaugh as a colleague. He was always supportive and strong and carry and someone who has integrity and judgment that i value. I knew bret early as a Family Member and i was there when he married ashley. I remember well the birth of his children. He is a great father, husband, and son. In short, he is a very good human being. Since the nomination of Bret Kavanaugh, i have been able to reflect back on those times and put my experience tells me about bret in this crucial role. Many have given testimony to his extraordinary legal mind, the depth of his experience, his intellect, and his good common sense. You have heard, and will hear from his clerks and other jurors and great legal thinkers, as well as colleagues throughout his career. I do not need to repeat their praise, only to say that i know firsthand that bret is really, really smart. Here is the Bret Kavanaugh that i know. He has hardworking. He has a sense of humor. He seeks truth in facts. There are no details too small to gain his attention. He makes those around him bette better. Bret is wise. He is an old soul who is made to help study us and our complicated times. Bret is listless, especially with those who he disagrees. In our charge environment when we have become almost tribal, living in echo chambers and often finding comfort in the company of only those with whom we agree, this is an indispensable quality or the responsibilities of the Supreme Court. The only thing that would be better is if bret had gone to the same college that his mentor and friend went to, that would be stance in university, but for that, i will forgive him, and Yale University seems to have done a pretty good job. In recent weeks, we have also had the chance to reflect on our constitution. The Supreme Court itself, and the trust that we place and the justice of it. As a scholar and as a diplomat, i have watched the struggle of people across the world who have achieved democracy and keep it. Every day, i am more amazed by the brilliance of the institutional design that the framers left to us. They carefully balanced powers and responsibilities between the three branches of government, knowing that human beings are fallible, they constructed institutions that both enable and constrain those who would govern us. Scholars often speak of the american spirit of constitutionalism. We americans believe that the constitution is our personal protection. We take our rights very seriously, and we will go all the way to the Supreme Court if we think those rights have been violated. A democracy is only stable when there is that kind of trust in the institution. I believe that those institutions will be fair, just, and secure the rights of citizens. The strength of americas institutions is a cause for optimism. But, they cannot be taken for granted. The Supreme Court special role in protecting the careful balance of the constitution seeks to achieve is crucial to our democratic stability. This is true, even as times and customs change. And, it is more important with every passing year and hour and increasingly complicated nation. As a girl born in segregated alabama who grew up to be secretary of state, i know personally our countrys long journey to guarantee equal rights. I know the power of the constitution, and i know the gift of our democracy. The Supreme Court is a crucial guardian, both of our constitution and our democracy. That is why i am so honored to introduce Bret Kavanaugh for these hearings. He will be an outstanding Supreme Court justice. His intellect is unquestioned, his judgment is highly regarded. And, i can personally attest to his character and integrity as a colleague. Bret kavanaugh will thoroughly and faithfully uphold the trust that is our heritage, the constitution of the United States of america, the most remarkable government govg document in American History. Thank you, secretary rice. And now, senator portman. Chairman grassley, and colleagues on this committee on the republican end, the democratic side, it is a privilege to join Condoleezza Rice and lisa black here introducing a friend, judge kavanaugh. I have known bret and his wife, ashley, before they were married. I had the opportunity to work with bret in the george w. Bush white house. As secretary rice has just had very welcome with those of us who work with him universally praise his work ethic, his intelligence, and his integrity. I visited with george w. Bush a few days ago. We talked about bret. Put it simply, Bret Kavanaugh is a class act. In endorsing bret, former lawyer to president bill clinton, bob bennett, called him a strong advocate of decency and civilit civility. By the way, of all the attributes that you look for in a judge, what could be more important than good judgment . Bret definitely showed good judgment in marrying ashley. So did she. And they are great family. They have their daughters, margaret and liza here today. Brets parents are also here. That is especially appropriate since brets first introduction to the law came from his mom. Closing arguments at the dinner table. She was a trailblazer. She went to law school at age 34 and eventually became a trial judge. Bret has said, to him, Martha Kavanaugh will always be the true judge kavanaugh. There will be more spirited discussion about his legal philosophy, experience, and background as a lawyer and a judge. I heard quite a bit about it today. There should be this discussion. This is about a lifetime appointment to the highest court in the land. In my view, there is not a Better Qualified person to be on that court. Just last friday, the American Bar Association gave judge kavanaugh a unanimous wellqualified rating which is the highest rating that they offer. Unanimous. I saw how he conducted himself as associate counsel to the president in the white house counsels office, the job i once had in the first place white house office. I watched him on the d. C. Circuit where he has been praised as fair, smart, and independent. He is often more than 300 public opinions, an impressive number. In the Supreme Court has adopted his reasoning a Record Number of times. A record that few, if any affiliate judges can match. Again, no one more qualified. For more than a decade, he has also taught classes at harvard, yale, and Georgetown Law School schools. He is a well respected judge, and the well respected professor. That is why so many of his former students, his law clerks, his judicial colleagues, and legal scholars by the way, from across the political spectrum have come out in support of his nomination. Judge kavanaugh is guided by the constitution, and by the rule of law. He has said, the judges job is to interpret the law, not make the law or policy. I agree. By the way, as do most of the people we represent. Judges should not be legislating from the bench. Clearly, Bret Kavanaugh has the right qualifications. And, he has the judicial philosophy that is very much in the mainstream. Just as important to me as the kind of person that you would want on the Supreme Court. I have known bret, not as a legal scholar, judge, but as a friend, father, and has been. He is thoughtful, and compassionate. Someone who has a big heart. The humility to listen. To me, that might be the single most important attribute for a member of the Supreme Court, the humility to listen. Throughout this confirmation hearing, i hope the American People will get to know the Bret Kavanaugh i have the privilege of knowing. Bret came to my office to discuss his nomination, just as he had been to your offices. He then went straight from our meeting to serve dinner to the homeless through his church, a regular occurrence that was long scheduled. Scheduled long before his nomination. I only found out about it because that night, someone recognized him and took a photo that got tweeted. It was a photo of him in a baseball cap in the soup kitche kitchen. It is classic bret that he did not tell me that this was where he was going after meeting with me. To my colleagues, i know the man. He does things because it is the right thing to do. Bret is also involved, as some of you know and some of his daughters sports teams. They had an undefeated season and went on to win a citywide championship. Way to go, margaret. To show you where his priorities are, coach k as he is known by his players has the Team Photograph trophy prominently displayed in his judicial chambers. Julie obrien whose daughter goes to school with margit has another telling story about bre bret. A few years ago, julies husband passed away. With no one to accompany her daughter to the annual fatherdaughter dance, bret stepped up. That year and every year since, bret has taken her daughter, alongside his own, to the dance. It is the kind of person that he is. That is the Bret Kavanaugh that i know. I am proud to introduce Bret Kavanaugh before this committee, and i am proud to strongly support his nomination to be the next associate justice of the United States Supreme Court. I know that these are partisan times here in washington. This is an extraordinary nominee in every respect. Based on his record, his qualifications, and his character, i believe he deserves broad support. My hope, mr. Chairman, is the case by those nominated by president obama, this committee would report his nomination. Favorably. Thank you, mr. Chairman. Thank you, my colleague. Ms. Lisa. Thank you, mr. Chairman and committee members. It is a privilege to appear before you today. Her name is lisa and i know judge kavanaugh. Ive argued 35 cases before the Supreme Court of the United States. More than any other woman in history. I am also a liberal democrat and an unapologetic defender of a womans right to choose. My hero is Justice Ruth Bader ginsburg, for whom i had the Great Fortune of serving as a law clerk. I proudly voted for larry quinn. I voted for president obama twice. With my apologies for this one, mr. Chairman, i wish mr. Feinstein was chairing this committee. Im here today to introduce judge kavanaugh and urge the senate to confirm him as a next associate justice of the Supreme Court. I received many angry calls from friends and strangers for supporting judge kavanaugh. I was raised to call it like i see it. I do not see the choice before you as difficult. By any objective measure, judge kavanaugh is clearly qualified to serve on the Supreme Court. After law school, he served for Anthony Kennedy, the justice that he was cc. He spent 12 years on the Nations Court of appeals, the United States court of appeals for the District Of Columbia circuit. His opinions are invariably thoughtful and fair. Many are known as instant classics. Not just because they were important, but because they were written so clearly and well. The Supreme Court has adopted the reasoning in his opinions more than a dozen times. Judge kavanaughs judicial temperament and integrity are also follows. He has meticulously prepared and treats litigants with respect to asking probing questions at both sides. He approaches judging by determining what the law requires, no matter his personal preference. Judge kavanaugh has taught at the nations top law schools, published articles, and has just mentioned the aba strongly endorsed him because he makes the highest standards of integrity, professional competence and judicial temperament. On a personal level, i cannot say enough nice things about the judge. I first met him almost ten years ago when he emailed me completely out of the blue to say that he liked an article that i had written about arguing before the Supreme Court. Since then, we have become friends and he has become a mentor to me in my career. Judge kavanaugh has spent countless hours listening to me talk about the challenges i have faced as a working mother and a profession dominated by men. He has been a great source of advice on these, and many other issues about worklife balance. He understands that life is not always perfect. He responds to lifes challenges with a selfdeprecating sense of humor. More generally, judge kavanaugh has been remarkably committed to promoting women in the Legal Profession. More than half of his law clerk has been women, something that is sadly, by no means common. Women and men have gone on to work at the Supreme Court including the Legal Profession is fair and more equal because of judge kavanaugh has mentored countless other women. I know that judge kavanaugh is a conservative judicial outlook. If he is confirmed, he will have 1 of 9 votes to definitively decide that many of the constitution, including just how far to read it and protect the reproductive rights of women. It where it were up to me, Justice Ginsburg would have all nine votes, but that is not our system, and the reality is, the presidency and the senate are in republican hands. Judge kavanaugh is the best choice that liberals could reasonably hope for in these circumstances. I am sure that some members of the senate knew that they would disagree with Justice Ginsburgs views which he was nominated. This body has honestly treated some nominees differently since then to the detriment of our court. I strongly disagree with the senates treatment of judge garland. Judge kavanaugh himself spoke glowingly of her stating she is a brilliant journalist. She thoughtful, considerate, works well with others, good man, great integrity, and is supremely qualified by the objective airdries leaks of experience, temperament, writing ability to the Supreme Court. All of this is equally true of judge cavanaugh. I do not think it is fair to hold judge kavanaugh responsible for the fact that judge garland is not adjusted today. Instead, i would urge this committee to treat him as we expect him to treat litigants that appear before him on his own merit and with an open mind towards someone whose abuse different from our own. Our judicial system is not well served by titfortat politics. At the end of the day, i enthusiastically support judge kavanaugh nm and proud to introduce him because he is qualified by his extraordinary intellect and experience. He does easily fit within the mainstream of legal thought. I look forward to the committee over the next few days getting to know the judge kavanaugh that i know. At the end of that process, i hope you will agree that he should be confirmed to succeed his former boss on the Supreme Court. Thank you, mrs. Lisa blatt. Thank you each of the panel for their introduction. And youre dismissed now. Judge kavanaugh, can you shake your head . I was told you might want 5 minutes now. You need that . Okay. Then, just stay seated until we change the table a little bit. Then, we will get to you. Neil all right, they are just repositioning judge kavanaugh for what will finally be his opportunity to Say Something here. He got words of praise from people that you would expect in the cadence of lisa blatt, a partner of a law firm who grew to admire judge kavanaugh, someone that you would not a liberal, invariably to the left, but judge b ginsberg that was not to be the case, and is not to be the case, but this is an opportunity for judge kavanaugh to respond a little bit and address some of the issues that came out today. Introduced to the panel and the world. For those who have maybe not seen his picture and his image across the capital, these are divisive times, and this is an opportunity to respond. Well be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you god. I do. Proceed with your statement or anything else that you want to tell the committee right now. Thank you, mr. Chairman. Senator feinstein, embers of the committee, i thanked secretary rice, senator portman, and lisa blatt for their generous introductions. They are patriots who represent the best of america. I am humbled by their confidenc confidence. Im proud to call each of them a friend. Over the past eight weeks, i have witnessed firsthand the senates deep appreciation for the vital role of the american judiciary. I have met with 65 senators, including almost every member of this committee. Those meetings are sometimes referred to as courtesy calls, but that term understates how substantive and personal are discussions have been. I have greatly enjoyed all 65 meetings. In listening to all of you, i have learned more about our country and the people you represent. Every senator is devoted to Public Service and the public good. I think all of the similars for the time, and their thoughts. I thank President Trump for the honor of this nomination as a judge and as a citizen, i was deeply impressed by the president s careful attention to the nomination process and by his thorough consideration of potential nominees. I am also very grateful for his courtesy. At the white house on the knot of the announcement, the president and mrs. Trump were very gracious to my daughters, my wife, and my parents. My family always cherished that night. My daughter liza calls at her debut on national television. As a nominee to the Supreme Court, i understand the responsibility i bear. Some 30 years ago, judge Anthony Kennedy sat in the seat. He became one of the most consequential justices in American History. I served as his law clerk in 1993. Timmy, Justice Kennedy is a mentor, a friend, and a hero. As a member of the court, he was a model of civility and collegiality. He fiercely defended the independence of the judiciary. And he was a champion of libert liberty. If you had to sum up Justice Kennedys entire career in one word, liberty. Justice kennedy established a legacy of liberty for ourselves and our posterity. I am here today with another of my judicial heroes, my mom. 50 years ago this week in september of 1968, my mom was 26, and i was 3. At that time, my mom started as a Public School teacher at Mckinley Tech High School here in washington, d. C. 1968 was a difficult time for Race Relations in our city and our country. Mckinley tech had an almost entirely africanamerican student body. It was east of the park. I vividly remember days as a young boy, sitting in the back of my moms classroom as she taught American History to a class of africanamerican teenagers. Her students were born before brown versus education or bowling versus sharp. By her example, my mom taught the importance of equality for all americans, equal rights, equal dignity, and equal justice under law. My mom was a trailblazer. When i was ten, she went to law school at American University and became a prosecutor. I am an only child, and my introduction to law came at our dinner table when she practiced her closing arguments on my dad and me. Her trademark line was, use your common sense. What rings true . What rings false . One of the few women prosecutors at the time, she overcame barriers who was later appointed by the credit governors to serve as a maryland state trial judge. Our judges serve on the american front lines of justice. My mom taught me that judges dont deal in abject consoles. They decide for real cases, for real people, in the real world. She taught me that good judges must also stand in the shoes of others. The chairman referred to me today as judge kavanaugh. But to me, that title will always belong to my mom. For 12 years, i have been a judge on the u. S. Court of appeals for the d. C. Circuit. I have written more than 300 opinions and handles more than 2,000 cases. I have given it my all and every case. I am proud of that body of work, and i stand behind it. I tell people, dont read about my judicial opinions, read the opinions. I have served with 17 other judges, each of them, a colleague and a friend. On a court now led by a chief judge Merrick Garland. My judicial philosophy is straightforward. A judge must be independent, postinterpret the law, not make the law. I judge must interpret statutes as written. I judge must interpret the constitution as written, informed by history and tradition and precedent. In deciding cases, a judge must always keep in mind what Alexander Hamilton said in the federalist 83. The rules of legal interpretation are rules of common sense. A good judge must be an umpire, a neutral and impartial arbiter who favorites no litigant. One of his greatest opinions, judges do not make decisions to reach a preferred result. Judges make decisions because the law and the constitution, as we see them, compel the results. Over the past 12 years, i have ruled, sometimes for the prosecution, and sometimes for criminal defendants. Sometimes for workers, and sometimes for businesses. Sometimes for environmentalists, and sometimes for coal miners. In each case, i have followed the law. I do not decide cases based on personal or policy preferences. I am not a pro plaintiff or prodefendant judge. I am not a pro prosecution or prodefense judge. I am approached law judge. As Justice Kennedy showed us, a judge must be independent, not swayed by public pressure. Our independent judiciary is the crown jewel of our constitutional republic. In our independent judiciary, the Supreme Court is the last line of defense for the separation of powers, and for the rights and liberties guaranteed by the constitution. The Supreme Court must never, never be viewed as a protestant institution the justices on the Supreme Court did not sit on opposite sides of an aisle. They do not caucus in separate rooms. If confirmed, to the Supreme Court, i would be part of a team of 9. Committed to deciding cases according to the constitution and laws of the United States. I would always strive to be a team player on the team of 9. Throughout my life, i have tried to serve the common good in keeping with my jesuit high schools motto, meant for others. I have spent my career in Public Service, i have tutored at washington jesuit academy, a rigorous tuition free school for boys for families with low income. I served meals to the homeless with my friend, father john endler. In those works, i keep in mind the message of matthew 25, and try to serve the least fortunate among us. I know that ill fall short at times, but i always want to do more and do better. For the past seven years, i have coached my daughters basketball teams. I love coaching. All the girls that i have coached are awesome. A special congratulations to the girls on this years sixth grade cyo chairmanship team. I love helping the girls grow into competent players. I know that confidence on the Basketball Court translates into confidence on other aspects of life. Title ix helped make girls and women sports equal. I see that laws legacy every night when i walk into my house as my daughters are getting back from lacrosse or basketball or hockey practice. I know from my own life, that those who teach and coach americas youth are among the most influential people in our country. With a kind word here and a hint of encouragement there, a word of discipline delivered in a spirit of love, teachers and coaches change lives. I thank all of my teachers and coaches who have gotten me to this point. I think all of the teachers and coaches throughout america. As a judge, i sought to train the next generation of lawyers and leaders. For 12 years, i have taught constitutional law to hundreds of students, primarily at harvard law school. I teach that the constitution of the separation of powers protect individually liberty. Im grateful to all of my students. I have learned so much from the them. Im especially grateful to the dean who first hired me. Now, Justice Elena kagan. One of the best parts of my job as a judge is, each year, hiring four Law School Graduates to serve as my Law School Course for the year. I hire the best. My law works come from diverse backgrounds and points of view. A majority of my 48 law clerks have been women. More than a quarter of my law clerks have been minorities. I have far more africanamerican law clerks than the percentage of africanamericans students in u. S. Law schools. I am proud of all of my law clerks. I am grateful for my friends. This past may, i delivered the commencement address at Catholic University law school. I gave the graduates this advice, cherish your friends, look out for your friends, lift up your friends, love your friends. Well quote over the last few weeks, i have been strengthened by the love of my friends. I think all of my friends. Im grateful to have my family behind me. My mom, rightly, gets a lot of attention. But a few words about my dad. He has an unparalleled work ethic and again for making friends with people, regardless of who they are, or where they come from. My dad and i are both passionate sports fans. When i was 7, he took me to the 1972 chairmanship at the stadium 2 miles from here. Upper deck, section 503, wrote 3, sees 8 and 9. When i was 17, we sat in the same seats for the 1972 nsc chairmanship game. In 1995, when i was 30, when kyle ripped and the wons first consecutive game and broke the unseemly unbreakable record. A lifetime of friendship forged in stadium seats over hotdogs an end beer. My daughters, margaret and liza will be in and out of the hearing rooms over the next few days. They are strong girls, dedicated students, outstanding athletes. In the time that you last saw them at the white house ceremony on july 9th, i am pleased to report that margaret has got her braces off, and has turned 13. Margaret is the sweetest girl that you will ever know. As for eliza, i tell her every night that no one gives a better hug than liza kavanaugh. Finally, i thank my wife, ashley. She is a strong texan. A graduate of the university of texas at austin. She is now the popular town manager of our local community. This is not exactly been the summer that she had planned for the family. I am grateful for her love and inspiration. Ashley is a kind soul. She always sees the goodness in others. She has made me a better person and a better judge. I thank god every day for my family. Mr. Chairman, senator feinstein, members of the committee, i look forward to the rest of the hearing and answering your questions. I am an optimist. I live on the sunrise side of the mountain, not the sunset side of the mountain. I see the day coming, nay not e day that is gone. I am optimistic about the future of america. I am optimistic about the future of our independent judiciary. I revere the constitution. If confirmed to the Supreme Court, i will keep an open mind in every case. I will do equal right to the poor and the rich. I will always strive to preserve the constitution of the United States and the american rule of law. Thank you, mr. Chairman. Thank you, judge kavanaugh. I have something i want to say to the committee but before that, we have been here approximately eight hours. You had a lot to hear today and listen to. I think its very noteworthy that no one has seriously questions your qualifications to receive a promotion to the nations highest court, and they have learned a lot about you, being an exceptional teacher, coach, volunteer, and dad in addition to being an exceptional judge. I thank you very much for your statement. Questions for the record are due monday, september 10, at noon. We will notice judge kavanaughs markup meeting for thursday, september 13, this timeline is consistent with how we have handled past Supreme Court nominations. I want everybody to know that right now, so that members and their staff can be working on written questions throughout the week. With that, we will recess until tomorrow morning at 9 30 when we will start the first round of questions. Again, each senator will have 3d of questions. And i intend to go like we have with gorsuch. People will have a chance to ask the questions they want to ask. We start out with 30 minutes, and a 20minute second round. Everyone will have a chance for a 50 minute crack at this strong judge. Meeting adjourned. What a raucous day its been. Brett kavanaugh finally had a chance to address the committee and ostensibly the country. The president , by the way, has been tweeting about all this. A few minutes ago saying the brett Kavanaugh Hearings for the future justice of the Supreme Court are truly a display of how mean, angry, and despicable the other side is. They will say anything, and are only looking to inflict pain and embarrassment to one of the most highly renowned jurists to ever appear before congress. So sad to see here to weigh in on that, from the White House Press secretary ari fleischer. We always come to expect the protests that happen or at least the nature of questioning. That you get from the other side. Democrats will say the same with republicans. Going back to the Merrick Garland up so that was never allowed, a hearing that never came to pass. Barack obama stories for the Supreme Court. Of course, back and forth. How do you think he handled all of that today, especially these rolling protests where someone would act up and leave at another person would act up and leave. It was all day. I have the advantage to have worked with Brett Kavanaugh in the white house and his wife ashley. He handled it with the same equanimity he did in the white house meetings. He is a thoughtful guy. Hes always been that way. He is a calm guy at a very deep guy. Thats what i think youre going to hear in the q a tomorrow. Even in the opening remarks here, i have to tell you when people say look at his writings, how good his writings are, you can hear it in a statement. There is a crispness to his statement, a clarity to his statement. Liberty, following the law, the independence of the judiciary, on serving for the rich and poor. Those are his words, and they have a meaning because he gives them meaning. Neil such a thing of having too much of a paper trail of written record . It might be the case of judge Brett Kavanaugh. A lot of it goes back to the consternation on the part of democrats, his role as president bushs associate counsel and later on as his, you know, staff secretary. All documents would clear his office first. They want to know what he did and i only weighed in on any one of these developments. Of course, only a fraction of that is being released. But many will argue it is being released is more than we have gotten out of the last five Supreme Court picks combined. Not good enough. How do you see this going . I think its going to go very well. This is all up fracas, a preliminary fracas over process and procedure and will never go anywhere. Thats what the minority has to do. The only thing that will hurt brett as if he stumbles, if theres a problem with the questions tomorrow. We have become a country with the two parties have different views of the judiciary. The democrats view the judiciary as a mini legislature. You go to the activist judicial bench. Democrats, came up with a litmus test about who could serve on the Supreme Court. You must be prochoice and you must be for gay marriage. Republicans dont have the same litmus test. Donald trump indicated he would name people who were progun. Donald trump worked off a list of people he thought were good. If Brett Kavanaugh is on that list, hes a superstar. Its a solid, good list. You you here is you hear his demeanor. Its we want on the Supreme Court. Neil well put. Sorry we got you so late. You are very patient. Tomorrow, we will get the exchange back and forth. Republicans still full they can wrap it up this week and voted out of committee by the end of the week. It will likely go along party lines. Gentoo the general senate. They are still saying it will get done. Jesse im Jesse Watters with katie pavlich, juan williams, jedediah bila, and greg gutfeld. Its 5 00 in new york city, this is the five. Chaos on capitol hill. Democrats and protesters turning the brett Kavanaugh Hearing into a threering circus. President trump reacting minutes ago on twitter saying the brett Kavanaugh Hearings for the future justice of the Supreme Court are truly a display of how mean, angry, and despicable the other side is. They will say anything, and are only looking to inflict pain and embarrassment to one of the most highly renowned jurists to ever appear before congress. So sad to see
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