[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 144 (Tuesday, August 28, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5969-S5970]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                     Nomination of Brett Kavanaugh

  Mr. President, on another matter, I would like to take a moment to 
discuss the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to be an Associate Justice of 
the U.S. Supreme Court.
  Next Tuesday, the Judiciary Committee will convene a hearing to 
consider Judge Kavanaugh's nomination. The hearing will run 4 days. The 
American people will have an opportunity to hear from Judge Kavanaugh 
at length. They will also hear from a number of lawyers, former 
colleagues, and clerks who know Judge Kavanaugh well and can attest to 
his legal abilities and personal character.
  Ever since the President nominated Judge Kavanaugh to the Supreme 
Court, my Democratic colleagues have hurled all sorts of wild 
acquisitions against him. They have called him a reactionary. That is 
terrible. They have said his nomination threatens the destruction of 
the Constitution--even more terrible. They have said that those who 
support his nomination are complicit in evil--even more terrible.
  Well, next week the American people will have an opportunity to see 
Judge Kavanaugh. They will find that he is not a reactionary. They will 
find that he doesn't, in fact, intend to destroy the Constitution. They 
will also find that those who, like me, support his nomination are not 
complicit in evil. Rather, the American people will see a whip-smart, 
incredibly accomplished, humble man. They will see a jurist who has 
authored more than 300 opinions and whose reasoning has won the day at 
the Supreme Court over a dozen times where the Court has copied his 
opinions. They will see a devoted husband and father who puts his 
family and community first. They will see a man who spends his spare 
time coaching youth basketball and feeding the homeless. They will see 
a beloved teacher who wins sterling reviews from students for his 
fairminded approach to teaching constitutional law. In other words, the 
American people will see what those of us who know Judge Kavanaugh see 
in him. It is those qualities that make me proud of the role I played 
in his confirmation as a circuit court judge in 2006 after years of 
partisan obstruction.
  I have been on the Judiciary Committee for the last 14 Supreme Court

[[Page S5970]]

confirmation hearings. Judge Kavanaugh's will be my 15th and final. He 
is as qualified and ready to serve as any nominee I have seen to our 
Nation's highest Court.
  I hope that next week, the over-the-top rhetoric and 
misrepresentations about Judge Kavanaugh will finally cease. Let's make 
this confirmation about Judge Kavanaugh. Let's make it about his 
judiciary record and his experience. Let's stop trying to gin up the 
base by pretending his nomination is a threat to the Republic.
  Brett Kavanaugh is an excellent judge and a good man. He will make an 
outstanding Justice. Next week, the American people will see that for 
themselves. I think it will be an eye-opener for some people who have 
been listening to some of the rhetoric thrown his way. I know him well. 
He is a bright man. He is an honest man. He tells the truth. He writes 
very well. He will make an excellent addition to the U.S. Supreme 
Court. He is honest. He is faithful. He is a good family man. He is 
everything you would want in a Justice on the greatest court in the 
world. I know him. I support him--not just because he is a Republican 
or because he gives the Republicans somewhat of an advantage on the 
Court but because he is one heck of a good person, one heck of a good 
judge, and one heck of a good student of the law. He is a wonderful 
man, and I hope my colleagues on both sides of the aisle will see it 
through in a way that will be an honor to this body, not a desecration.
  Mr. President, I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from North Carolina.
  Mr. TILLIS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that I be able to 
complete my brief remarks.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.