Half of Senate Judiciary Dems Pledged ‘No’ Votes Before Kavanaugh Hearing

Democratic members making the most noise at Tuesday’s Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing for Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the U.S. Supreme Court had said, even before it started, that they would vote against him.

There are 11 Democrats on the panel, and five of them announced their opposition before Kavanaugh’s hearing began. Two of the five announced their opposition before President Donald Trump made his nomination of Kavanaugh (pictured above center) public.

The five Democrats with their minds made up before the hearing include:

1.) Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), a former state attorney general. He announced his “no” vote July 9, the same day Trump announced Kavanaugh.

2.) Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.), who announced his opposition on July 9.

3.) Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif., pictured above left), the ranking minority member of the judiciary panel.

4.) Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif., pictured above right), a former state attorney general.

5.) Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii).

And while Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) has not definitively said how he will vote, his July 10 statement offered nothing but criticism of Kavanaugh, culminating in the senator’s declaration that:

“Replacing Justice Kennedy’s swing vote with a far-Right jurist like Judge Kavanaugh could change the rules in America. Just as troubling, in light of the ongoing Russia investigation, Judge Kavanaugh has expressed staunch opposition to criminal investigations of sitting presidents.

“With a subservient Republican Congress and a far-Right Supreme Court, there is a real risk that the worst impulses of the Trump presidency will go unchecked.  The stakes for this nomination are historic.”

Harris and Hirono announced their intent to vote against Trump’s nominee, no matter who it might be.