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. bret s parents are also here. that is especially appropriate since bret s 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
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
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
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
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