As predicted, reaction to President Donald Trump’s nominee to replace retiring Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy received mixed reactions from lawmakers, including from those here in Pennsylvania.
Pennsylvania’s senior U.S. Senator announced even before President Trump made his nomination announcement on Monday that he would vote against any of his nominees.
He called the system Trump was using “flawed.”
The president ended up nominating politically connected conservative Judge Brett Kavanaugh. The 53-year-old currently works in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. He’s a favorite of the Republican legal establishment in Washington and is a former law clerk for retiring Justice Kennedy.
U.S. Representative Mike Kelly pledged his support of President Trump’s Supreme Court nomination.
Kelly called nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh “as strong as they come” and pointed to his background and “impeccable credentials.”
“In his own words, Judge Kavanaugh ‘reveres’ our Constitution and is a faithful originalist when it comes to interpreting its text as written, not as he or anyone else wishes it would be. Both his mind and his voice will enrich the Supreme Court and help the institution carry out its rightful role in defending the rule of law and upholding the God-given, constitutionally-protected rights of every American citizen. In short, America won a great victory tonight. Now, the Senate must do the right thing and grant Judge Kavanaugh the support he overwhelmingly deserves,” Kelly said.
U.S. Senator Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania said he was ‘pleased’ to see President Trump nominate Judge Brett Kavanaugh.
In a statement, Toomey said judicial nominees, including those for the Supreme Court, should understand that the proper role of a judge is to apply the law, including the U.S. Constitution, as written. Toomey said he plans on applying that standard while reviewing Judge Kavanaugh’s record and hopes that his Republican and Democratic colleagues will do the same.
If Kavanaugh becomes a Supreme Court Justice, he could effect change to several key issues, including abortion and gay rights.
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