Confirmation hearings for Brett Kavanaugh, President Donald Trump’s second nominee to the Supreme Court, will begin Tuesday, Sept. 4.
Over four days, the Senate Judiciary Committee is expected to grill Kavanaugh on his approach to the law, and on his views on hot-button legal issues including abortion, executive power, campaign finance reform, regulatory oversight and gun violence.
While Trump is hoping for a repeat of the Senate's successful confirmation of his first nominee, Neil Gorsuch, the White House is nevertheless preparing for a fight. Senate Democrats have raised concerns especially about Kavanaugh’s views on executive power, given the ongoing Russia investigation, and about whether Kavanaugh would work to overturn Roe v. Wade. Though Kavanaugh told Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) that Roe v. Wade is settled law, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY ) told reporters last week, “everything the Supreme Court decides is settled law until it unsettles it. Saying a case is settled law is not the same thing as saying a case was correctly decided.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.