Graphic shows current steps to get a Supreme Court justice confirmed.
GN38130EN

U.S.

Supreme Court nominee confirmation battle

By Jordi Bou

July 10, 2018 - The nomination of Brett Kavanaugh for the Supreme Court sets up a ferocious confirmation battle with Democrats as U.S. President Donald Trump seeks to shift the court further right.

A favorite of the Republican legal establishment in Washington, Kavanaugh, 53, is a former law clerk for retiring Justice Anthony Kennedy. Like Trump's first nominee last year, Justice Neil Gorsuch, Kavanaugh would be a young addition who could help remake the court for decades to come with rulings that could restrict abortion, expand gun rights and roll back key parts of Obamacare.

With Kavanaugh, Trump is replacing a swing vote on the nine-member court with a staunch conservative. Kavanaugh, who serves on the Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, is expected to be less receptive to abortion and gay rights than Kennedy was. He also has taken an expansive view of executive power and has favored limits on investigating the president.

With Democrats determined to vigorously oppose Trump's choice, the Senate confirmation battle is expected to dominate the months leading up to November's midterm elections. Senate Republicans hold only a 51-49 majority, leaving them hardly any margin if Democrats hold the line. Democratic senators running for re-election in states Trump carried in 2016 will face pressure to back his nominee.

Sources
PUBLISHED: 10/07/2018; STORY: Graphic News; PICTURES: Associated Press / Getty Images / Newsom
Advertisement