Congressman Cleaver Expresses Concern Over President’s Choice for SCOTUS Nominee

(Washington, D.C.) – Congressman Emanuel Cleaver, II released the following statement on the selection of Judge Brett Kavanaugh as the nominee for the next Supreme Court Justice.

"Granted by the authority given to him under the constitution, President Trump has nominated Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court. While it is the President's duty to nominate a justice, the Senate is given the responsibility of vetting and either confirming or denying the President's selection.

After studying various decisions written by Judge Kavanaugh on some of the prominent issues of our time, I would be very concerned about the future of the highest court in the land, should he be confirmed. Whoever becomes our next Supreme Court justice, he/she will have the ability to cast the deciding vote to overturn Roe v. Wade, to strike down pre-existing condition protections in the ACA, to roll back LGBTQ rights, to weaken American workers' right to unionize, to eliminate affirmative action, and to strip away so many other rights that Americans currently appreciate.

With this much at stake, it is essential that the Senate take a long look at past decisions and vet this nominee with the utmost scrutiny.

Below are only a few of the troubling decisions written by Judge Kavanaugh:

•  Judge Kavanaugh has taken numerous positions that question his ability to be an independent check on the President, stating that investigations of presidents should be deferred while in office and a president needn't obey it when he "deems the law unconstitutional."
• Judge Kavanaugh argued that the D.C. Circuit should consider a claim that the ACA was unconstitutional. [CITE]
•  Judge Kavanaugh argued that the Trump administration could keep a young girl in federal custody to prevent her obtaining constitutionally-protected health care. [CITE]

I have little doubt that Judge Kavanaugh is a good man and a legal expert, but his history on critical issues has been less than satisfactory and certainly not enough to warrant a seat on the Supreme Court of the United States of America.

Confirmation of the next Supreme Court justice will shape the court for decades to come. It is not a decision to be taken lightly, especially when the very fundamental rights that many of us rely upon are at risk."

Congressman Emanuel Cleaver, II (D-MO)

Emanuel Cleaver, II is the U.S. Representative for Missouri's Fifth Congressional District, which includes Kansas City, Independence, Lee's Summit, Raytown, Grandview, Sugar Creek, Blue Springs, Grain Valley, Oak Grove, North Kansas City, Gladstone, Claycomo, and all of Ray, Lafayette, and Saline Counties. He is a member of the exclusive House Financial Services Committee, the Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Housing and Insurance, and also a Senior Whip of the Democratic Caucus. For more information, please contact Heather Frierson at 816-842-4545 or Heather.Frierson@mail.house.gov A high-resolution photo of Congressman Cleaver is available here.