Earlier today, Brett Kavanaugh attempted to gloss over his polluter-friendly judicial record while responding to a question from Republican Senator Orrin Hatch. But make no mistake: Brett Kavanaugh has consistently sided with corporate polluters. Kavanaugh’s toxic record poses a grave threat to our clean air and water and communities across the country, and his testimony today affirms the fact that he will more than likely overturn the Chevron Doctrine, which gives executive agencies the authority to interpret the statutes they implement, if he’s confirmed to the Supreme Court.
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Today, as the confirmation hearing for Donald Trump’s Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh began, Senate Judiciary Committee Democrats spoke out for the American people and demanded that the hearing be delayed until Kavanaugh’s full record has been released. Brett Kavanaugh spent over five years in the George W. Bush White House as White House Counsel and Staff Secretary. To date, only a fraction of Kavanaugh’s more than 6 million White House documents have been made public.
Yesterday, Donald Trump’s acting EPA Administrator and former coal lobbyist Andrew Wheeler announced his plans to direct the Agency to reconsider the life-saving Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS), the commonsense safeguards designed to dramatically curb the emission of mercury, a potent neurotoxin, and other heavy metals and acid gases from coal-fired power plants.Yet, despite the indisputable benefits of protecting the public from toxic pollution, Donald Trump’s Supreme Court nominee, Brett Kavanaugh, has expressed skepticism as to MATS’ value. In his answers to his Senate confirmation questionnaire, Kavanaugh said that he regards his 2014 dissent in White Stallion Energy Ctr., LLC v. EPA -- in which he opined that EPA had adopted the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards in error -- as one of his top 10 most significant opinions.
Despite yesterday’s guilty plea by Donald Trump’s longtime attorney Michael Cohen and conviction of former Campaign Manager Paul Manafort, Sen. Collins says she sees “no basis” for delaying Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation hearing for the Supreme Court. Collins’ comments come as a flood of her colleagues are calling for the hearings to be delayed because of the failure to disclose 97% of Kavanaugh’s documents from his time in the George W. Bush White House and yesterday’s events.
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Yesterday, Donald Trump’s longtime personal attorney Michael Cohen pled guilty to attempting to influence the 2016 election “in coordination with and at the direction of a candidate for federal office,” implicating Donald Trump in a federal crime. Within minutes, Trump’s former Campaign Chair Paul Manafort was separately convicted in the Mueller investigation. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, along with Sen. Chuck Schumer, Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, Sen. Jeff Merkley and Sen. Dianne Feinstein, called for Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court hearing to be “immediately postponed” while the Senate Judiciary Committee investigates the charges made against Donald Trump and his 2016 campaign. Sen. Mazie Hirono and Sen. Ed Markey cancelled their scheduled interviews with Kavanaugh.
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Today, Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley announced that he intends to hold hearings September 4-6 for Brett Kavanaugh, Donald Trump’s extremist Supreme Court nominee.
Last week, Donald Trump’s Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh submitted his questionnaire to Senators as a part of the confirmation process. In his answers, Kavanaugh said that he regards his 2014 dissent on EPA’s mercury standard in the White Stallion Energy Ctr., LLC v. EPA case as one of his top 10 most significant opinions. He said, "In my view, it was unreasonable — and therefore unlawful under the Administrative Procedure Act — for EPA not to consider the costs imposed by regulations in determining whether such regulations were 'appropriate and necessary.'"
Yesterday, Senator Dean Heller met with Trump’s extremist Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, and after the meeting, Heller said that he has “no reservations” and is “very confident” in Kavanaugh. Earlier this week, the Washington Post released an analysis of Kavanaugh’s support for the controversial Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository, which Heller has previously said he opposes.
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Today, under the cover of the ongoing Supreme Court process, the Senate voted 50-49 to confirm right-wing extremist Andrew Oldham to the the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. Oldham is one of the youngest of Trump’s judicial appointees and now holds a lifetime appointment to the bench. Including Oldham, Trump has confirmed 23 judges for lifetime appointments to Courts of Appeals.
Leaders from the Sierra Club, the League of Conservation Voters, and Earthjustice will discuss what Trump’s Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh will mean for the environment and why our organizations are engaging on this issue.
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Today, Donald Trump announced he plans to nominate Brett Kavanaugh to Justice Anthony Kennedy’s recently vacated seat on the Supreme Court. Kavanaugh is currently a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. Kavanaugh was added to Trump’s short list of nominees by extremist right-wing organizations who selected candidates who will pave the way for attacks on the environment, dismantling worker protections, gutting Roe v. Wade, and criminalizing women.
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Today, the Supreme Court of the United States upheld Donald Trump’s travel ban targeting immigrants and refugees from Muslim majority countries.