Durbin, Duckworth, Shimkus Weigh in on Kavanaugh Nomination

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Published on July 10 2018 3:13 pm
Last Updated on July 10 2018 3:13 pm
Written by Greg Sapp

Illinois US Senators Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth have weighed in on President Trump's nomination of Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the US Supreme Court.

Duckworth said, “The newfound urgency to fill Justice Kennedy’s Supreme Court seat from many of the same people who refused to even consider President Obama’s nominee is transparent opportunism that represents everything Americans hate most about politics today. We can’t ignore the reality that Donald Trump wants to take us back to a time when insurers could refuse coverage to people with pre-existing conditions or that he promised to only nominate Justices who would put the government back in between women and their doctors.

“If he succeeds, it won’t only affect people like me who could be prevented from having children through IVF; the impacts will be felt by everyone. Whoever replaces Justice Kennedy will play a critical role in the lives of all women and every single American. Moving forward, I will thoroughly review Judge Kavanaugh’s rulings, evaluate his qualifications and look for him to make it clear to the American public that he would be independent, not simply a rubber stamp for Donald Trump’s whims, if he hopes to earn my support.”

Durbin said in a series of tweets: "Brett Kavanaugh would be the deciding vote on this Court to change the rules in America for the next generation...And just in time, the President has found a Supreme Court nominee who argues presidents should not be distracted with criminal investigations and prosecutions while in office...Kavanaugh's views on the Second Amendment are straight out of the gun lobby playbook...Given a choice between the freedom of women to plan their own families and the strong hand of government, women lose...Given a choice between polluters and public health, he consistently finds a legal escape for the polluters...His record shows that given a choice between corporations and consumers, he's a reliable ally of big business."

For his part, US Representative John Shimkus said Tuesday, "Brett Kavanaugh is exactly the kind of judge we need on the Supreme Court, one who bases decisions on the Constitution and the rule of law. He sees the judicial branch for what it is: coequal to the legislative and executive branches, not superior. If an issue appears before the Supreme Court that calls out for a legislative solution, he has indicated it should be the responsibility of Congress to address. The judicial branch should not – as it unfortunately has done so many times – legislate from the bench.

"I strongly support the President's choice of Judge Kavanaugh."