Donald Trump announced that he will nominate DC Circuit Court of Appeals judge Brett Kavanaugh to fill the Supreme Court seat being left vacant by Anthony Kennedy.
Trump unveiled his pick in a reality television-style announcement at the White House on Monday night.
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Trump nominates Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court. pic.twitter.com/4JpBivPbx7
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— PoliticusUSA (@politicususa) July 10, 2018
Kavanaugh is an extremist who thinks presidents are above the law
Relative to other potential nominees, some are claiming that Kavanaugh is centrist, but that’s not the case. If you want an idea of what this SCOTUS pick means for the future of the court, all you have to do is look at his past decisions.
On abortion rights, Kavanaugh recently ruled to prevent a 17-year-old girl at an immigrant detention center from receiving an abortion.
According to the Independent: “When the ruling was later overturned by the full court, he claimed the decision would give immigrant minors a right to ‘immediate abortion on demand’.”
The same report pointed out that Kavanaugh “frequently ruled against Obama-era environmental regulations, and said he would like to strike down Washington DC’s ban on certain semi-automatic long guns.”
These two positions – both having severe consequences for the health and well-being of the American people – are dangerous.
But perhaps equally as dangerous from a political perspective is Kavanaugh’s position on presidential indictments.
As Heavy pointed out on Monday, “Kavanaugh has written that he doesn’t think sitting presidents should be indicted – or even investigated – for any crime while in office.”
With Robert Mueller’s investigation swirling around Trump and the Supreme Court potentially having the opportunity to weigh in on the investigation, this position could be pivotal. It could also be why he was Trump’s ultimate choice.
Combine Kavanaugh’s right-wing extremism with his belief that presidents are essentially above the law, and it’s clear why Donald Trump nominated him to fill Anthony Kennedy’s Supreme Court seat.
It’s a dangerous choice that Democrats should immediately unite against.
Sean Colarossi currently resides in Cleveland, Ohio. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and was an organizing fellow for both of President Obama’s presidential campaigns. He also worked with Planned Parenthood as an Affordable Care Act Outreach Organizer in 2014, helping northeast Ohio residents obtain health insurance coverage.
