Jeanne Shaheen (D - NH) Definitely No
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September 27: “Dr. Ford’s testimony was detailed, moving and credible, and I believe her,” said Shaheen. “I was in awe of her bravery and strength today. I hope her testimony will be a watershed moment in our country for survivors of sexual assault. Women all across the country are making their voices heard and demanding change when it comes to the treatment of women and sexual assault survivors.” Shaheen continued, “While I believe Dr. Ford, it’s in the best interest of the American people for these allegations to be fully investigated by the FBI. Without a thorough, independent investigation there will be a cloud over this process, and this nominee that will damage one of our country’s most vital institutions, the Supreme Court. “Lastly, the threats made to both Dr. Ford and Judge Kavanaugh and their families are a sad reflection of the lack of civility in our public debate and are deeply regrettable. We all must do better.” (senate.gov)
September 10: “The Senate cannot perform its constitutional duties to advise and consent without a full view of Judge Kavanaugh’s record. The lack of document production and the nominee’s refusal to answer basic questions about his judicial record and philosophy make it impossible to conclude anything other than the Senate Majority and Judge Kavanaugh are deliberately concealing his record from the American people. That is unacceptable for someone who is being nominated to serve a lifetime appointment on the nation’s highest court,” said Shaheen. “While much of Judge Kavanaugh’s record remains a mystery, what we do know is extremely troubling and dangerously out of step with the American people, particularly on critical issues including executive power, abortion rights and pre-existing conditions. The President remains the focus of a sprawling criminal probe and has nominated a judge to the Supreme Court with an expansive view of executive power – no one, not even the President, is above the law and no defendant should be permitted to choose his or her own judge. Furthermore, Judge Kavanaugh’s inability to remember if he has discussed the Special Counsel’s investigation with President Trump’s defense team is extremely alarming,” continued Shaheen. In closing Shaheen said, “Judge Kavanaugh’s past rulings on abortion demonstrate that he is willing to infringe on a woman’s constitutionally-protected right to make her own reproductive decisions, and his failure to answer questions about the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act’s protections for pre-existing conditions puts the health and well-being of millions of Americans at risk. After careful consideration of his record and reviewing the limited documents made available to the U.S. Senate, I have come to the conclusion that I cannot support Judge Kavanaugh’s nomination to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court.” (senate.gov)
July 11: Well, as you know, Judge Kavanaugh has a long record of 12 years on the D.C. Circuit. He's done a lot of writings during that time. I think we're just beginning to find out what's in some of those. Before that he was a political operative. He worked in the Bush White House. He was involved with Ken Starr in that investigation. He was involved with the Elian Gonzalez situation. So he has a lot in his history that I'm interested in seeing more about and seeing where he has stood on certain issues. I am troubled by his opposition to health care, to the Affordable Care Act. I'm troubled by his -- what I expect to be his stance on women's reproductive freedom. So there are a lot of questions that I want to ask him. But I think we need to have a full process where we have a chance to listen to what this nominee has to say, to learn about his record, and then to make a decision. I think we need to go back to the days when people tried to look at nominees and see who -- whether they really are mainstream, whether they really can respect the precedent that's in the Constitution -- or in the Supreme Court decisions, and really uphold as Judge Kavanaugh said he wanted to do, the Constitution. (CNN)
July 9: The independence of the Supreme Court is critical to our democracy. Judge Kavanaugh must demonstrate his respect for precedent and his focus on defending the Constitution, independent of political influence or ideology. I look forward to reviewing his record, and to meeting with Judge Kavanaugh to discuss a number of key issues that underscore the indispensable values of equality and freedom. The Court has reaffirmed these principles in landmark decisions that maintained protections for women’s reproductive rights, LGBTQ civil liberties, and healthcare coverage for millions of Americans that depend on the Affordable Care Act. I will only support Judge Kavanaugh’s nomination if he protects the civil rights and freedoms enshrined in the Constitution. (senate.gov)