Political Battle Lines Drawn: 4 Things You Need to Know about the Nomination of Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court

President Trump’s nomination of District of Columbia Circuit Court Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the U.S. Supreme Court has sent shock waves of both horror and delight across the political landscape of America.

Progressives plan to make Kavanaugh’s confirmation hearings the marquee fight of the Trump presidency.

Here are 4 things you need to know about Judge Kavanaugh and his nomination to replace retiring Justice Anthony Kennedy:

1. The progressives hate the nomination and the nominee.

Opposition to the nomination has been swift and non-stop…

Terry McAuliffe – Governor of Virginia – said, “The nomination of Judge Brett Kavanaugh will threaten the lives of millions of Americans for decades to come and will morph our Supreme Court into a political arm of the right-wing Republican Party.”

NARAL posted on Twitter: “We’ll be DAMNED if we’re going to let five MEN – including some frat boy named Brett – strip us of our hard-won bodily autonomy and reproductive rights.”

A media outlet has accused Judge Kavanaugh of running up a “massive” credit card debt buying major league baseball tickets…

Opponents of President Trump and his nominee are already running ads in the states of key senators … and planning procedural delays in an attempt to postpone the confirmation vote until after the November mid-term elections … when they hope to regain a majority in the Senate.

Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) said, “I’ll fight to make sure there are no hearings to replace Justice Kennedy until after the election. This is our democracy…”

“Now is the time for hardball,” said another progressive activist.

Meanwhile, less than 48 hours after his nomination, Kavanaugh was seen serving meals to the homeless outside the Catholic Charities facility in downtown Washington, D.C.

2. Evangelical leaders and conservatives love the nomination and thed nominee.

About 40 evangelical leaders co-signed a letter applauding President Trump’s nomination of Judge Kavanaugh … and urging the Senate to “work diligently to confirm his appointment without obstruction.”

Among the signers were:

• Russell Moore, president of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention
• Joel Belz, founder of World Magazine
• D. Greear, senior pastor of The Summit Church and president of the Southern Baptist Convention
• Dennis Rainey of FamilyLife Today
• George O. Wood, chairman of World Assemblies of God Fellowship

Jay Sekulow – Chief Counsel of the American Center for Law and Justice and a member of President Trump’s legal team – said, “Judge Kavanaugh is a brilliant jurist who embraces the philosophy of our Founders – an unwavering commitment to the rule of law and the Constitution.”

Focus on the Family president Jim Daly said, “Judge Kavanaugh has the reputation of being fair-minded and able to work with his fellow judges who might have a different point of view. His temperament is well-suited for the demands of our nation’s highest court.”

An op-ed article in National Review called him “a warrior for religious liberty.”

3. Who is Judge Brett Kavanaugh?

Judge Kavanaugh is a respected, highly-experienced federal appeals court judge on the District of Columbia Circuit Court in Washington, D.C.…

His academic credentials and professional experience are impressive:

• Graduate of Yale Law School
• Clerked for the 3^rd and 9^th Circuit Courts
• Clerked for Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy
• S. Circuit Court Judge for the District of Columbia Circuit for 10 years

He’s an active Roman Catholic:

• He volunteers for the meals program at Catholic Charities
• He has tutored at the Washington Jesuit Academy
• He coaches girls’ basketball teams

In his nomination acceptance speech, Kavanaugh said, “A judge must be independent and must interpret the law, not make the law.”

Throughout his professional career, Judge Kavanaugh has demonstrated a steadfast and fearless commitment to defend religious liberty:

• When he was in private practice in the 1990s, he worked pro bono on religious freedom cases
• He wrote pro bono amicus briefs in defense of religious freedom in high-profile Supreme Court cases
• He defended a synagogue pro bono in a local zoning dispute
• He advocated for the selection of judges who protect religious liberty
• As a District of Columbia Circuit Court judge, he wrote a concurring opinion in Newdow v. Roberts, which ruled that presidential inaugural prayers don’t violate the establishment clause of the First Amendment.

4. Beware of media lies and distortions.

Rather than talking about their disagreements with Kavanaugh’s judicial philosophy … or his view of interpreting and applying the Constitution … the media are using their standard tactic of impugning his character and distorting his record.

Don’t fall for media misinformation … it’s biased and not truthful.

This is a man of integrity … a man who will interpret the law, not create it…

In other words, he will act the way a judge should act…

The media and progressive politicians are trying to convince you that no Supreme Court justice should be confirmed in an election year.

Why?

Because Republicans refused to confirm President Barack Obama’s nomination to replace Justice Antonin Scalia in 2016.

But there’s a difference.

2016 was a presidential election year … and 2018 is a mid-term election year.

Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY) had said in 2007 that Democrats wouldn’t confirm a Supreme Court justice during President George W. Bush’s last year in office.

The Republicans in 2016 were merely following the precedent established by the Democrats in 2007.

What do you think? Write me at craig@craighuey.com