[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 161 (Friday, September 28, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Page S6398]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     NOMINATION OF BRETT KAVANAUGH

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, for the information of all of our 
colleagues, there were two very significant developments today.
  This morning, the Judiciary Committee reported out Judge Kavanaugh 
favorably. All 11 Republican members of the Judiciary Committee voted 
in favor of reporting him out with a favorable recommendation. No. 2, 
we will shortly move to proceed to the Kavanaugh nomination, and I am 
pleased to announce that all 51 Republican Members of the Senate 
support the motion to proceed to the nomination. One hundred percent of 
the Republican conference supports proceeding to the Kavanaugh 
nomination.
  Now, in committee, they reviewed the most pages of documents ever 
produced pertaining to any Supreme Court nomination--literally, 
hundreds of judicial opinions from his tenure on the Court of Appeals 
for the DC Circuit and 5 days of hearings during which Judge Kavanaugh 
testified for nearly 40 hours. Judge Kavanaugh testified on every 
topic, from complicated legal subjects to sensitive personal matters, 
and there were statements and testimony from countless personal 
friends, classmates, coworkers, former clerks, and other associates.
  So the picture that has emerged from all of this is clear: Judge 
Kavanaugh is one of the most qualified and most impressive Supreme 
Court nominees in the history of our country.
  He has excelled at the highest levels of legal scholarship. He holds 
two degrees from Yale and, for years, has lectured at Harvard Law 
School. He has issued more than 300 legal opinions from what is widely 
considered the second highest court in the Nation. Several have 
subsequently been cited in the Supreme Court's own majority opinions. 
Along the way, he has built an outstanding reputation within the legal 
community for his clear and thoughtful writing and his exemplary, 
fairminded judicial temperament.
  Judge Kavanaugh's qualifications have been affirmed by his peers and 
by renowned legal scholars from across the ideological spectrum. One 
self-described liberal Democrat who advised him at Yale Law School said 
that Judge Kavanaugh ``commands wide and deep respect among scholars, 
lawyers, and jurists.''
  This praise has been echoed by hundreds of character witnesses who 
have testified before the Senate or written us letters to praise Judge 
Kavanaugh's personal character and his integrity in the strongest 
terms.
  The committee has also thoroughly investigated the last-minute 
allegations that have been brought forward. The evidence that has been 
produced either fails to corroborate these accusations or, in fact, 
support Judge Kavanaugh's unequivocal denial, and, in some cases, the 
accusers have even recanted their baseless allegations.
  All in all, this is a nominee who has received what many have 
considered the gold standard of judicial qualification--a rating of 
unanimously ``well qualified'' from the American Bar Association.
  So this is a nomination that deserves to move forward, and that is 
precisely what is happening.
  I commend our colleagues on the committee for sending this impressive 
nominee here to the floor with a favorable recommendation.
  Now we will keep the process moving. The full Senate will begin 
consideration of Judge Kavanaugh's nomination today.

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