California’s two U.S. Senators both declared immediately on Monday evening that they will oppose the confirmation of D.C. Circuit Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Their votes are largely irrelevant, since the Republican Party has a slim majority in the Senate and can confirm Supreme Court justices on a simple majority vote — thanks in part to former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV), who broke with tradition and ended the filibuster rule for most judicial nominees in 2013.
Feinstein’s opposition is relevant, however, as she is the ranking member — the leading member of the Democratic Party minority — on the Senate Judiciary Committee. Harris’s opposition is also important for symbolic reasons, as she is widely considered a leading contender for the Democratic Party nomination for president in 2020.
Both attacked Kavanaugh in strident terms without citing any specific decisions he had made:
Whether or not the Supreme Court enforces the spirit of the words “Equal Justice Under Law,” is determined by the individuals who sit on that Court. Brett Kavanaugh represents a fundamental threat to that promise of equality. I will oppose his nomination to the Supreme Court.
— Kamala Harris (@SenKamalaHarris) July 10, 2018
Trump’s Supreme Court Justice nominee, Judge Kavanaugh, represents a direct and fundamental threat to the rights and health care of hundreds of millions of Americans. I will oppose his nomination to the Supreme Court. #SCOTUSpick
— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) July 10, 2018
Brett Kavanaugh appears to meet all of President Trump’s political promises for how his candidate will rule. Kavanaugh’s record both on the bench and as a Republican operative indicate that he would be among the most conservative justices in Supreme Court history. #SCOTUS
— Sen Dianne Feinstein (@SenFeinstein) July 10, 2018
President Trump has been crystal clear about his litmus tests. He said that any #SCOTUS nominee would oppose gun safety laws and Roe v. Wade would be overturned ‘automatically.’ #WhatsAtStake
— Sen Dianne Feinstein (@SenFeinstein) July 10, 2018
Brett Kavanaugh’s views are far outside the mainstream when it comes to health care, executive power, privacy and gun safety. We need a nominee who understands that the court must protect the rights of all Americans, not just political interest groups and the powerful. #SCOTUS
— Sen Dianne Feinstein (@SenFeinstein) July 10, 2018
Feinstein also rejected a White House invitation to attend the announcement of Kavanaugh’s nomination on Monday evening.
Neither Feinstein nor Harris mentioned Kavanaugh’s qualifications. A liberal Yale Law School professor wrote in the New York Times Tuesday that “it is hard to name anyone with judicial credentials as strong as those of Judge Kavanaugh.”
Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. He is also the co-author of How Trump Won: The Inside Story of a Revolution, which is available from Regnery. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.
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