Cries of “Cancel Kavanaugh” echoed in the Senate as confirmation hearings began for Brett Kavanaugh, President Trump’s pick for the next Supreme Court justice. The demonstrators, mostly women, urged the senators to vote no on Kavanaugh, with multiple protesters referencing his anti-abortion views.

Even before the hearings officially began, women wearing red robes and white bonnets as depicted in the TV series and book “The Handmaid’s Tale” roamed the Hart Senate Office Building, again, in protest of Kavanaugh’s anti-choice stance.

“This lifetime appointment will be devastating to women’s rights, voting rights, gay rights,” one of the protesters shouted, according to The Washington Post. Another protester shouted, “An illegitimate president cannot make a lifetime appointment to the Supreme Court.”

The protesters were quickly escorted out of the hearing room by the Capitol Police. According to the Post, 22 people were arrested on suspicion of disorderly conduct.

The Democratic senators on the Judiciary Committee appeared to side with the protesters. They attempted to adjourn the hearing before its official start, citing the lack of document production for Kavanaugh, among other factors.

Sen. Patrick J. Leahy, D-Va., asked, “What are we trying to hide? Why are we rushing?”

Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., said, “We have not been given an opportunity to have a meaningful hearing on this nominee.”

Leahy, Harris and others referenced the failure to release multiple documents from Kavanaugh’s career, particularly, the Post reports, those from his time as a staffer for President George W. Bush. When 42,000 pages of those documents were released on the eve of the hearings, Democrats emphasized that a few hours was far from sufficient time to read them.

Democrats also raised the issues of the lack of hearings for Merrick Garland, President Barack Obama’s choice to fill the late Antonin Scalia’s Supreme Court seat, and the special counsel investigation into possible Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election.

Watch additional video of the protests and hearings here:

 WAIT, BEFORE YOU GO…

If you're reading this, you probably already know that non-profit, independent journalism is under threat worldwide. Independent news sites are overshadowed by larger heavily funded mainstream media that inundate us with hype and noise that barely scratch the surface. We believe that our readers deserve to know the full story. Truthdig writers bravely dig beneath the headlines to give you thought-provoking, investigative reporting and analysis that tells you what’s really happening and who’s rolling up their sleeves to do something about it.

Like you, we believe a well-informed public that doesn’t have blind faith in the status quo can help change the world. Your contribution of as little as $5 monthly or $35 annually will make you a groundbreaking member and lays the foundation of our work.

SUPPORT TRUTHDIG
In this Article:
#brett kavanaugh#confirmation hearing#kamala harris#patrick leahy#supreme court#td-original