Kavanaugh is supremely qualified to be a justice

question. He is a sitting judge on the U. S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit — arguably the secondmost important court in the nation.

He is a lecturer at Harvard Law School. His resume also includes clerking for the U. S. Supreme Court and two federal appellate courts; working in the Office of the Solicitor General; serving as an Associate White House Counsel and Staff Secretary to President George W. Bush; and two stints as a partner at Kirkland & Ellis, one of the nation’s top law firms.

Along with Justice Neil Gorsuch and others, Judge Kavanaugh co-authored The Law of Judicial Precedent, a lengthy treatise on the role of stare decisis, the principle of showing deference to prior legal decisions.

If a nominee’s legal resume means anything, Brett Kavanaugh should sail through the Senate faster than just about anyone in history. His qualifications are second to none.

But it’s not just the length of Brett Kavanaugh’s resume that stands out; it is also the depth and impact that he has had on other jurists.

The Supreme Court has endorsed Kavanaugh’s opinions more than a dozen times, and more than 50 federal circuit court opinions discuss or cite one of Kavanaugh’s concurrences or dissents.

This record led Yale Law Professor Akhil Amar, a self-described “liberal” supporter of Hillary Clinton’s 2016 candidacy, to describe Kavanaugh as a judge who “commands wide and deep respect among scholars, lawyers, and jurists.”

Amar and many others recognize that if we set aside the politics that has so often plagued Supreme Court hearings and focus (as we should) on Kavanaugh’s qualifications, he should easily pass muster for Republicans and Democrats alike.

The Senate hearings on Judge Kavanaugh’s nomination will undoubtedly focus on his judicial philosophy. We should have a robust discussion about the proper role of the judiciary and the proper method for interpreting and applying statutes and the Constitution.

This may be the best opportunity in recent memory for such a discussion.

We don’t need platitudes or vague promises. With more than 300 published opinions, Judge Kavanaugh leaves little to the imagination. What you see is what you get.

This history and transparency are important. When I review Kavanaugh’s body of work, what I see is a judge who applies the law as written.

I see a judge who understands that the law means what it says. I see a judge who understands the proper but limited role of the judiciary, who will not substitute his policy preferences for those of the elected branches of government.

We don’t have to guess who Brett Kavanaugh is or what type of Justice he will be, and we don’t have to rely on the vague use of political buzzwords.

Ask Kavanaugh the hard questions about his judicial philosophy. Grill him on his prior rulings.

I am confident that he is up to the task of responding. The Senate should be firm but fair.

They are given the responsibility of advice and consent, and they should take that responsibility seriously. If they do so, Brett Kavanaugh will aptly demonstrate that he is qualified to sit on the Supreme Court and has the right temperament and judicial philosophy.

The Senate should give him hearings and a confirmation vote as soon as possible.