Today (September 28), the Senate Committee on the Judiciary voted 11-10 to advance Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh to a full Senate vote.
The committee—and the world—watched as Dr. Christine Blasey Ford testified for hours about how Kavanaugh allegedly sexually assaulted her yesterday (September 27). Then members met this morning and decided to vote on the nomination at 1:30 p.m. EDT, confident that they had enough support to push him through after Senator Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) committed his vote.
Just before the vote, Flake said he would vote to advance on the condition that the Federal Bureau of Investigation would be allowed up to a week to investigate the allegations ahead of a full Senate vote. The vote happened in Kavanaugh’s favor, but other senators questioned if the body has the power to delay action on the nomination on the full floor. It is expected that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell would have to make that decision.
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If a simple majority of the full Senate votes for him, Kavanaugh will fill the spot left vacant when Justice Anthony Kennedy retired in July, tipping the balance of the Supreme Court to Conservative. There are currently 51 Republicans in the Senate, 49 Democrats and two Independents who caucus with the Democrats.
But advocates—who have been concerned about Kavanaugh’s previous rulings and stances on civil rights and women’s choice—are rallying people to keep fighting the nomination. Join NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund and the National Women’s Law Center and tell your Senators to keep him off the Supreme Court.
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For all the naysayers – many of you are the ones who said in July that this was a done deal. You said #Kavanaugh was the best we could hope to get with this President. Just do your job as citizens. Call your congressperson. Let them know what you want & what you think is fair.
rnt— Sherrilyn Ifill (@Sifill_LDF) September 28, 2018
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Don’t be fooled. The Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee DID just vote to move Kavanaugh’s nomination forward. What’s not clear is when the full Senate will take their final vote. Until they do, we all call: 1-844-397-6952. https://t.co/LujTm4VRWH
rnt— NWLC (@nwlc) September 28, 2018
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