Let's see how many Dems vote against Trump's SCOTUS nominee

Make your bets now. I'm guessing they'll make a little noise for the cameras and then approve Brett Kavanaugh.

Last year, Kavanaugh decided against a 17-year-old undocumented immigrant in federal custody who sought to immediately terminate her pregnancy, though he was overruled by colleagues.

As a special counsel investigation into Trump’s alleged collusion with Russia continues, Kavanaugh could also be the deciding vote in whether a criminal prosecution goes forward. He is likely to be questioned about his past assertions that a sitting president should be protected from indictment.

  The Guardian

Which will just be noise for the cameras. Democrats want their man - should they ever get a man in office again - to be protected just as much as Republicans do.

[Kavanaugh] opined that “indictment and trial of a sitting president … would cripple the federal government, rendering it unable to function with credibility in either the international or domestic arena” and that “even the lesser burdens of a criminal investigation … are time consuming and distracting”.

Which is no doubt why Trump nominated him.

The announcement was made with fanfare in the east room of the White House with Trump’s wife, Melania, Vice-President Mike Pence and numerous senators in attendance.

[...]

“Tonight, it is my honour and privilege to announce that I will nominate Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the United States supreme court,” Trump said. There was prolonged applause as Kavanaugh entered the room with his wife, Ashley, and daughters, Margaret and Liza, with whom he lives in Maryland.

The show. The show is everything.

The president added: “There is no one in America more qualified for this position, and no one more deserving.”

As though it's a prize and not a position in which a person is supposed to be serving the very foundation of the United States. You don't "deserve" a seat on the Supreme Court. You earn one. Well, that was the idea, long lost to history now.

Kavanaugh, 53, described himself as “humbled” and “deeply honoured” by the elevation. He told Trump: “Throughout this process, I’ve witnessed first-hand your appreciation for the vital role of the American judiciary. No president has ever consulted more widely, or talked with more people from more backgrounds, to seek input about a supreme court nomination.”

Dear god. Kissing the ring ass.

“My judicial philosophy is straightforward. A judge must be independent and must interpret the law, not make the law. A judge must interpret statutes as written. And a judge must interpret the constitution as written, informed by history and tradition and precedent.”

Interpreting the law is the same as making the law. Our laws are written in English, not a foreign language that needs to be interpreted. They should come with lots of language - English - that explains them. If we're making laws properly, they shouldn't need interpretation. A judge, if we're abiding by the US Constitution, must adjudicate according to the law, not make or interpret it either one.

Nancy Pelosi, the minority leader in the House, said: “Judge Kavanaugh’s long history of opposition to the full, fundamental right of every woman to make her own decisions about her body, family and healthcare poses a grave threat to women’s rights and to our founders’ promise of liberty and justice for all.”

[...]

Kamala Harris, senator for California and seen as a 2020 presidential hopeful, argued: “Judge Kavanaugh has consistently proven to be a conservative ideologue instead of a mainstream jurist. As recently as last year, he disregarded supreme court precedent and opposed the healthcare rights of a vulnerable young woman. That ruling was overturned by a sitting of all the judges on his court.”

[...]

Chuck Schumer, the minority leader in the Senate, said: “In selecting Judge Brett Kavanaugh for the supreme court, President Trump has put reproductive rights and freedoms and healthcare protections for millions of Americans on the judicial chopping block ... I will oppose Judge Kavanaugh’s nomination with everything I have.”

We'll see. And, what does Chuck have? Not much these days. Not much.

I think it's time to limit SCOTUS terms. It has become as politically motivated as anything else in the government, so why should they get to rule for life?

 ...but hey, do what you want...you will anyway.

UPDATE: