More Praise for Judge Kavanaugh
‘You can learn a lot about a leader by asking the men and women who work for and with him. Thirty-four of his past clerks sent an open letter to Chairman Grassley and Senator Feinstein last week. Their own political and legal views are diverse. Quote: “Our ranks include Republicans, Democrats, and Independents. But we are united in this: our admiration and fondness for Judge Kavanaugh run deep.”’
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) delivered the following remarks today on the Senate floor regarding President Trump’s nomination of Judge Brett Kavanaugh for Associate Justice of the Supreme Court:
“It’s been less than a week since the president nominated Judge Brett Kavanaugh to serve as an Associate Justice on the Supreme Court. Already, praise has poured in for his legal abilities, professional accomplishments, and personal character. Some of the most interesting testimony has come from the men and women who may know better than anyone how Judge Kavanaugh approaches his work -- his law clerks.
“You can learn a lot about a leader by asking the men and women who work for and with him. Thirty-four of his past clerks sent an open letter to Chairman Grassley and Senator Feinstein last week. Their own political and legal views are diverse. Quote: ‘Our ranks include Republicans, Democrats, and Independents. But we are united in this: our admiration and fondness for Judge Kavanaugh run deep.’
“They describe his commitment to legal excellence: ‘We never once saw him take a shortcut, treat a case as unimportant, or search for an easy answer. Instead, in each case, large or small, he masters every detail and rereads every precedent.’ And they compliment the way Judge Kavanaugh conducts himself, both inside and outside the courtroom. They call him, quote, ‘unfailingly warm and gracious.’
“‘Grounded and kind.’ They describe, quote, ‘a fundamental humility.’ A subset of those clerks wrote a second letter. It’s from every one of Judge Kavanaugh’s female clerks whose current employment allowed them to sign it. These eighteen women explained, quote, ‘we feel compelled to write separately to convey our uniformly positive experiences with the Judge as a boss on issues of gender and equality in the workplace.’
“‘In our view,’ they write, ‘the Judge has been one of the strongest advocates in the federal judiciary for women lawyers.’ They explain how Judge Kavanaugh seeks out the best and brightest. How he goes above and beyond to advise and mentor all his clerks.
“Judge Kavanaugh’s hiring reflects, in their words, ‘rare gender parity’ -- 25 women clerks and 23 men. In 2014, in fact, all four of Judge Kavanaugh’s clerks were women -- a first for any judge on the D.C. circuit. Eighty-four percent of those 25 women have gone on to Supreme Court clerkships, thanks in large part to Judge Kavanaugh’s guidance and support. Here’s how they conclude their letter: ‘As you likely know by now, Judge Kavanaugh has two daughters, Margaret and Liza. ‘If they decide to follow in their dad’s—and grandmother’s—footsteps and become lawyers, they will enter a legal profession that is fairer and more equal because of Judge Kavanaugh.’
“We’ve also heard from Professor Amy Chua, who’s served on Yale Law School’s clerkship committee for most of the last decade. During that time, ten Yale law school graduates have clerked for Judge Kavanaugh—eight of whom are women. She emailed them to ask about their experiences. As she explained in the Wall Street Journal, they lauded his work ethic, his commitment to excellence, his humility, and his decency. And, quote, ‘to a person they described his extraordinary mentorship.’
“One woman said, ‘He’s been an incredible mentor to me despite the fact that I am a left-of-center woman. He always takes into account my goals rather than giving me generic advice.’ With respect to Judge Kavanaugh’s approach to deciding cases, Professor Chua points out that he ‘actively seeks out clerks from across the ideological spectrum who will question and disagree with him’ because ‘he wants to hear other perspectives before deciding a case.’
“‘Above all,’ she observes, Judge Kavanaugh ‘believes in the law and wants to figure out, without prejudging, what it requires.’ Again, we’ve already heard so many speak up to recommend this impressive nominee. In the weeks ahead, we’ll hear more -- including from Judge Kavanaugh himself, when our colleagues on the Judiciary Committee conduct hearings on his nomination. But I wanted to call special attention today to the warm words of those who’ve worked with and for Judge Kavanaugh. They’ve seen firsthand just how rigorously he approaches his work as a judge. And how graciously he shares his time and talent with others. Judge Kavanaugh is certainly an impressive nominee.”
Related Issues: Judicial Nominations, Supreme Court, Nominations
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