Cory Booker Risks It All During Brett Kavanaugh SCOTUS Nom Hearing

By Kenrya Rankin Sep 06, 2018

Today (September 26), during day three of Brett Kavanaugh’s Senate hearings to consider his nomination to the Supreme Court, Senator Cory Booker (D-N.J.) warned the Committee on the Judiciary that he was about to release documents labeled “committee confidential” because he wants the nation to understand what is at stake. Democrats and activists have expressed major concerns over Kavanaugh’s views on reporductive health care access and racial justice.

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True to his word, Booker then released the documents via the tweet below.

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In a statement posted on his website, Booker further explained his action.

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As I’ve been saying from the beginning, this process has been a sham. The fact that tens of thousands of documents revealing a Supreme Court nominee’s views on key issues were deemed Committee Confidential and not available to the public reflects the absurdity of this process. The public has a right to access documents about a Supreme Court nominee’s views on issues that are profoundly important, such as race and the law. This process has demonstrated an unprecedented level of secrecy and opaqueness that undermines the Senate’s Constitutional duty to advice and consent.


Per Senate Rule XXIX, Booker can be ousted from the Senate for releasing the files.

Shortly after Booker’s comment, Senators Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and Mazie Hirono (D-Hawai‘i) said they are all in for resisting as well, with Hirono releasing an additional confidential document that points to Kavanaugh’s pushback against programs meant to increase racial equity.

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