Last week, I had the pleasure of meeting and sitting down with President Trump’s second Supreme Court nominee, Judge Brett Kavanaugh. He is an intelligent, dedicated and universally respected man, whom I thoroughly enjoyed talking to and learning more about. Judge Kavanaugh has an impressive and proven track record and will prove to be a fantastic addition to the Supreme Court of the United States.
Judge Kavanaugh has superb academic credentials and an impressive career of public service spanning 28 years. He is a graduate of Yale College and Yale Law, and also clerked for Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy. Judge Kavanaugh also has broad experience in private practice and in government service.
He has now spent over twelve years serving on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit – often cited as the “Second Highest Law of the Land.” He is known for being a true “judge’s judge,” is a thought-leader among his peers, and is deeply respected by the Supreme Court. His clear and effective writing style has made him universally appreciated, and his authoritative legal opinions are known to interpret the law, not to legislate from the bench. In fact, Judge Kavanaugh once wrote “The judge’s job is to interpret the law, not to make the law or make policy. So read the words of the statute as written. Read the text of the Constitution as written, mindful of history and tradition. Don’t make up new constitutional rights that are not in the text of the Constitution. Don’t shy away from enforcing constitutional rights that are in the text of the Constitution.”
His record on the bench is impressive. The Supreme Court has endorsed his opinions more than 12 times, his 100 most-cited opinions have been cited by more than 210 judges across the country, and more than 50 circuit court opinions discuss or cite one of his concurrences or dissents. Judge Kavanaugh truly is the best of the best, and the type of Justice the American people want- one who follows the law, not his personal policy preferences.
On a personal level, Judge Kavanaugh has also proved to be an outstanding man. He is a youth basketball coach, a church volunteer, a family man, and a mentor in local schools. He is a life-long member of the Washington, D.C. community, and has always played an active role through charity work. Through speaking with him, I was able to see he is a man of family, faith and community, and furthermore the exact kind of person who will make the American people proud to have him on the Supreme Court.
However, despite his phenomenal record and being confirmed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit with bipartisan support from the U.S. Senate in 2006, Senate Democrats are doing everything within their power to attempt to block his nomination. In fact, President Trump picked Judge Kavanaugh because he is considered to be mainstream and will bring a fair and impartial perspective to the court. Judge Kavanaugh is undoubtedly the best choice to fill Justice Kennedy’s seat on the Supreme Court, and I hope all of my colleagues will join me in whole-heartedly endorsing him as well as voting to confirm him this fall.
I trust that Judge Kavanaugh will interpret the Constitution as it was intended by our founding fathers. He has shown years of commitment interpreting the law as it is written, not to make law or make policy. He will be a fair and intelligent voice, who respects precedent and truly embodies the 21st century conservative. I am happy to say, after our meeting, I wholeheartedly support Judge Kavanaugh’s nomination and look forward to voting to confirm him as our next Supreme Court justice this fall.
