CNN reports that The American Bar Association sent a letter late Thursday night to Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley and Senator Dianne Feinstein requesting a hold on the vote to confirm Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court, pending an FBI investigation into sexual assault allegations levelled at him by Professor Christine Blasey Ford.
Dear Chairman Grassley and Ranking Member Feinstein:
The American Bar Association urges the United States Senate Judiciary Committee (and, as appropriate, the full Senate) to conduct a confirmation vote on Judge Kavanaugh’s nomination to the Supreme Court of the United States only after an appropriate background check into the allegations made by Professor Ford and others is completed by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
We make this request because of the ABA’s respect for the rule of law and due process under law. The basic principles that underscore the Senate’s constitutional duty of advice and consent on federal judicial nominees require nothing less than a careful examination of the accusations
and facts by the FBI.
Each appointment to our nation’s Highest Court (as with all others) is simply too important to rush to a vote. Deciding to proceed without conducting additional investigation would not only have a lasting impact on the Senate’s reputation, but it will also negatively affect
the great trust necessary for the American people to have in the Supreme Court. It must remain an institution that will reliably follow the law and not politics.Respectfully, the Senate should recognize that a thorough FBI investigation will demonstrate its commitment to a Supreme Court that is above reproach.
Thank you for your consideration of this critically important matter.
PDF of American Bar Association letter via Huffington Post
According to Fox News, the ABA rated Judge Kavanaugh “as a well-qualified candidate for the nation’s highest court.” before Fords sexual assault allegations were made public.
Huffington Post reports that the Senate Judiciary committee plans to move forward with a confirmation vote on Kavanaugh scheduled for Friday Morning that will then move to a procedural vote on Saturday, even though they may not have the 50 votes yet to open debate.
The usual suspects have already weighed in on Twitter
My personal thoughts
I don’t see the harm in waiting and letting the FBI do whatever it needs to do. If there is nothing to hide, then a proper investigation will remove the major hit to Kavanaugh’s credibility and good name, he was so concerned about losing in Thursday’s hearing.
The claim that the SCOTUS seat should not remain vacant any longer holds no weight after the GOP majority Senate delayed President Obama’s pick on March 16th 2016 and didn’t fill the seat till Justice Gorsuch was confirmed on April 7th 2017.
Judge Kavanaugh, why not just go through with the investigation and rule with a clean slate instead of get rushed through by the smallest margin ever (if he’s even confirmed now) and rule with an asterix the rest of your life?
