ISCOTUS Co-Director Christopher Schmidt published this piece in the Washington Post this week. Professor Schmidt argues that one benefit of the recent Kavanaugh hearing is that the political nature of the Court has become undeniable.
The Supreme Court’s newest member, Justice Brett Kavanaugh, continues to make the news. Within days of his confirmation as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, Chief Justice Roberts granted a request to transfer a series of ethics complaints against Kavanaugh to the Tenth Circuit. The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals initially received the complaints, … Continue reading Roberts Transfers Kavanaugh Ethics Inquiry to the 10th Circuit
Brett Kavanaugh has been an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court for over a week now. Here’s a recap of events since his October 6 Senate confirmation vote. By some measures, Kavanaugh is the least popular nominee to make it to the Court. Kavanaugh’s 50-48 confirmation vote tied Justice Clarence Thomas, who was approved 52-48 … Continue reading The Court’s Newest Justice
On this day in 1991, National Public Radio first broke the story of Anita Hill’s allegations of sexual harassment against Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas. After graduating from Yale Law School, Hill worked as special counsel to Thomas, who was then head of the Office for Civil Rights in the U.S. Department of Education. … Continue reading On This Day in Supreme Court History—October 6, 1991
Judge Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination, and sexual misconduct claims against him, have continued to dominate this week’s news. When we left off last Thursday, Dr. Christine Blasey Ford was scheduled to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Monday, September 24, but had asked for a thorough FBI investigation prior to her hearing. Her request called … Continue reading More on the Kavanaugh Allegations
Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation hearing last week was highly contentious from the very start. The first day is generally limited to opening statements by the members of the Senate Judiciary Committee, formal introductions of the nominee, and the nominee’s own opening statement. But as CBS reports, day one began with Democratic senators’ … Continue reading Kavanaugh Hearings: Roundup
During the first day of the hearing for Judge Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination for the Supreme Court starts on Tuesday, September 4, 2018. On the first day, the senators on the Senate Judiciary Committee will make opening statements, but there won’t be questions for the nominee. But these opening statements are likely to be unusually contentious. … Continue reading The Kavanaugh Documents Controversy
Less than two months after President Trump announced his nomination, Judge Brett Kavanaugh will begin his confirmation hearing to sit on the Supreme Court on September 4. The Senate Judiciary Committee has a dedicated webpage about the hearing here. On the first day, we can expect to hear opening statements by committee members, as well … Continue reading Kavanaugh Hearing Preview
Contemporary Supreme Court confirmation hearings are both exciting and disappointing. They are exciting because they provide a chance to hear directly from the nominee, who otherwise may not be well known. The interested public can learn a bit about the individual’s public personality and intelligence. On the other hand, the hearings are disappointing because the … Continue reading Putting SCOTUS confirmation hearings in context
Under Article II of the Constitution, the president has the sole power to nominate a Supreme Court Justice, and the Senate provides advice and consent. On Monday night, President Trump nominated Judge Brett Kavanaugh to replace Justice Anthony Kennedy. The next public step will be a hearing held by the Senate Judiciary Committee, consisting of … Continue reading What Now in the Confirmation Process?