By: Pritha Paul
The Senate Judiciary Committee is scheduled to vote on the confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh for the Supreme Court on Friday 9:30 a.m. EDT, which would be less than 24 hours following testimonies from the nominee as well as Dr. Christine Blasey Ford — the latter voluntarily having appeared before the panel Thursday to elaborate on her accusations of sexual assault against Kavanaugh.
On Thursday, the President of American Bar Association (ABA) Robert Carlson wrote a letter to Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-IA), and Democratic ranking member Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), calling for the confirmation vote to be postponed to allow for the allegations against Kavanaugh to be properly investigated.
"The basic principles that underscore the Senate's constitutional duty of advice and consent on federal judicial nominees require nothing less than a careful examination of the accusations and facts by the FBI,” the letter stated.
It further added: “Each appointment to our nation's Highest Court (as with all others) is simply too important to rush to a vote. Deciding to proceed without conducting additional investigation would not only have a lasting impact on the Senate's reputation, but it will also negatively affect the great trust necessary for the American people to have in the Supreme Court."
The contents of the letter were made public after Kavanaugh mentioned the fact that the ABA held his nomination in high regards, during his testimony before the Senate on Thursday.
"For 12 years, everyone who has appeared before me on the D.C. Circuit has praised my judicial temperament," Kavanaugh said, Washington Times reported. "That's why I have the unanimous, well-qualified rating from the American Bar Association."
ABA's view was shared by pro-Trump lawyer Alan Dershowitz in an op-ed he wrote on Fox News. Although he did suggest later in the piece that there was a possibility that Ford was mistaken or lying, he did not rule out the fact that both Republicans and Democrats wanted to see a full investigation being carried into the Kavanaugh allegations and hence, the Senate need not rush into holding the confirmation vote.
"The Senate Judiciary Committee needs to slow down and postpone its vote on the nomination of Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court until the FBI can investigate accusations of sexual misconduct leveled against him by three women," he wrote.
Four GOP governors — Charlie Baker of Massachusetts, Larry Hogan of Maryland, Phil Scott of Vermont and John Kasich of Ohio — have also requested the Senate to hold off from voting until Kavanaugh can be properly vetted.
"The accusations brought against Judge Kavanaugh are sickening and deserve an independent investigation," Baker tweeted. "There should be no vote in the Senate."
"In the absence of a complete and thorough investigation, and hearing from all parties involved, moving this nomination forward would be a mistake," Kasich said in a statement. "In the best interest of our country and the integrity of the court, the Senate needs to hold on this confirmation. Without an investigation, and with so many serious issues involved, I can't support this nomination if they choose to move forward."
A number of Democratic members of the Congress, all of whom survivors of sexual assault and domestic abuse, also penned a letter to President Donald Trump and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell asking for the vote on Kavanaugh to be postponed and calling for an FBI investigation on the allegations against him, Roll Call reported.
“We further request fair and impartial consideration of Dr. Ford’s testimony, proper balancing of her story with Judge Kavanaugh’s testimony, and the postponement of any votes on Kavanaugh until all allegations have been properly investigated,” read the letter, signed by Reps. Alma Adams of North Carolina, Gwen Moore of Wisconsin, Ann McLane Kuster of New Hampshire, Jackie Speier of California and Debbie Dingell of Michigan.
Grassley said the vote was unlikely to get postponed as the procedure required the postponement notice to be issued three days prior to the scheduled voting day. However, given the extraordinary circumstances in the present case, he said there was a possibility that the vote would not take place on Friday.
“Judic Cmte noticed POTENTIAL exec mtg for Friday. Still taking this 1 step at a time. After hrg Dr Ford & Judge Kavanaugh's testimony- if we're ready to vote, we will vote. If we aren't ready, we won't. Cmte rules normally require 3 days notice so we're following regular order," Grassley tweeted.
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