Pandemonium in the Hearing Room: Protests, Complaints Mar Start of Kavanaugh SCOTUS Hearing
Protesters have called the nominee an “enemy of women's rights” and “a threat to this democracy” during the opening hours of Tuesday's hearing.
September 04, 2018 at 12:08 PM
4 minute read
Shouting protesters and sharp exchanges between senators dominated the opening hours of the confirmation hearing for U.S. Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh.
Protesters rained down cries and accusations from the back of the hearing room Tuesday calling Kavanaugh an “enemy of women's rights” and “a threat to this democracy.” The nominee, a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, largely ignored the disruptions behind him, staring ahead at the senators before him.
The protests came as Democratic senators spent much of the first day of Kavanaugh's confirmation hearing urging Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, to adjourn until they had time to review documents from Kavanaugh's career, particularly from his time working in former President George W. Bush's White House. Grassley declined to do so, pressing forward with the contentious and at times chaotic hearing.
The committee received over 40,000 pages of documents Monday night from Bill Burck, a lawyer for the former president Bush, to the ire of Democrats who complain that they haven't had time to consider those records.
The senators are also demanding the production of more documents that the White House and Justice Department have withheld, citing executive privilege. Sen. Cory Booker, D-New Jersey, complained on Tuesday morning that committee members have only had access to around 10 percent of the body of work from Kavanaugh's career. “Just common sense says we should have access to thoroughly evaluate this person,” he said.
As senators spoke, protests frequently erupted in the back of the room.
“This should be an impeachment hearing,” yelled one protester as she was dragged out.
“This is a mockery and a travesty of justice,” cried another.
“You must vote no! You must vote no!” shouted one woman.
One male protester was physically pulled from the room by Capitol Hill officers, as Grassley defended the transparency of Kavanaugh's nomination.
Kavanaugh arrived Tuesday morning to a packed committee room, where his wife and two daughters sat behind him. White House Counsel Donald McGahn, a top aide for Kavanaugh's nomination, was seated in the front row. Former clerks who have publicly advocated in favor of Kavanaugh's nomination also peppered the audience, including Zina Bash, who is part of Kavanaugh's confirmation team and was seated next to McGahn, and Travis Lenkner, a managing partner at Keller Lenkner.
Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein had a front-row seat for part of Tuesday's hearing. He exchanged handshakes with senators, including Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Arizona.
The heads of various legal and civil rights organizations opposing Kavanaugh's nomination also attended Tuesday: Sherrilyn Ifill of the NAACP's Legal Defense Fund, Vanita Gupta of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, and Fatima Goss Graves of the National Women's Law Center.
Meanwhile, protesters lined themselves outside the confirmation hearing room as well on Tuesday. A group of women, dressed in red robes, silently stood steps away from the Senate Judiciary room, a reference to the dystopian novel and television series, “The Handmaid's Tale.”
Read more:
NOT FOR REPRINT
© 2024 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
You Might Like
View AllPaul Weiss’ Shanmugam Joins 11th Circuit Fight Over False Claims Act’s Constitutionality
‘A Force of Nature’: Littler Mendelson Shareholder Michael Lotito Dies At 76
3 minute readUS Reviewer of Foreign Transactions Sees More Political, Policy Influence, Say Observers
'Unlawful Release'?: Judge Grants Preliminary Injunction in NASCAR Antitrust Lawsuit
3 minute readTrending Stories
- 1'Fulfilled Her Purpose on the Court': Presiding Judge M. Yvette Miller Is 'Ready for a New Challenge'
- 2Litigation Leaders: Greenspoon Marder’s Beth-Ann Krimsky on What Makes Her Team ‘Prepared, Compassionate and Wicked Smart’
- 3A Look Back at High-Profile Hires in Big Law From Federal Government
- 4Grabbing Market Share From Rivals, Law Firms Ramped Up Group Lateral Hires
- 5Navigating Twitter's 'Rocky Deal Process' Helped Drive Simpson Thacher's Tech and Telecom Practice
Who Got The Work
Michael G. Bongiorno, Andrew Scott Dulberg and Elizabeth E. Driscoll from Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr have stepped in to represent Symbotic Inc., an A.I.-enabled technology platform that focuses on increasing supply chain efficiency, and other defendants in a pending shareholder derivative lawsuit. The case, filed Oct. 2 in Massachusetts District Court by the Brown Law Firm on behalf of Stephen Austen, accuses certain officers and directors of misleading investors in regard to Symbotic's potential for margin growth by failing to disclose that the company was not equipped to timely deploy its systems or manage expenses through project delays. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton, is 1:24-cv-12522, Austen v. Cohen et al.
Who Got The Work
Edmund Polubinski and Marie Killmond of Davis Polk & Wardwell have entered appearances for data platform software development company MongoDB and other defendants in a pending shareholder derivative lawsuit. The action, filed Oct. 7 in New York Southern District Court by the Brown Law Firm, accuses the company's directors and/or officers of falsely expressing confidence in the company’s restructuring of its sales incentive plan and downplaying the severity of decreases in its upfront commitments. The case is 1:24-cv-07594, Roy v. Ittycheria et al.
Who Got The Work
Amy O. Bruchs and Kurt F. Ellison of Michael Best & Friedrich have entered appearances for Epic Systems Corp. in a pending employment discrimination lawsuit. The suit was filed Sept. 7 in Wisconsin Western District Court by Levine Eisberner LLC and Siri & Glimstad on behalf of a project manager who claims that he was wrongfully terminated after applying for a religious exemption to the defendant's COVID-19 vaccine mandate. The case, assigned to U.S. Magistrate Judge Anita Marie Boor, is 3:24-cv-00630, Secker, Nathan v. Epic Systems Corporation.
Who Got The Work
David X. Sullivan, Thomas J. Finn and Gregory A. Hall from McCarter & English have entered appearances for Sunrun Installation Services in a pending civil rights lawsuit. The complaint was filed Sept. 4 in Connecticut District Court by attorney Robert M. Berke on behalf of former employee George Edward Steins, who was arrested and charged with employing an unregistered home improvement salesperson. The complaint alleges that had Sunrun informed the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection that the plaintiff's employment had ended in 2017 and that he no longer held Sunrun's home improvement contractor license, he would not have been hit with charges, which were dismissed in May 2024. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Jeffrey A. Meyer, is 3:24-cv-01423, Steins v. Sunrun, Inc. et al.
Who Got The Work
Greenberg Traurig shareholder Joshua L. Raskin has entered an appearance for boohoo.com UK Ltd. in a pending patent infringement lawsuit. The suit, filed Sept. 3 in Texas Eastern District Court by Rozier Hardt McDonough on behalf of Alto Dynamics, asserts five patents related to an online shopping platform. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Rodney Gilstrap, is 2:24-cv-00719, Alto Dynamics, LLC v. boohoo.com UK Limited.
Featured Firms
Law Offices of Gary Martin Hays & Associates, P.C.
(470) 294-1674
Law Offices of Mark E. Salomone
(857) 444-6468
Smith & Hassler
(713) 739-1250