Senate Must Slow Rush to Confirm Brett Kavanaugh to Supreme Court

Statement of Common Cause President Karen Hobert Flynn

The rushed and deficient process to confirm Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the United States Supreme Court has been anything but deliberative. The Senate must immediately hit pause. Hastily convening a hearing on Monday concerning Professor Christine Blasey Ford’s serious allegations is unacceptable and it should be postponed. It is past time to activate an emergency brake.

There should not be artificial, phony deadlines when it comes to votes on lifetime appointments to the Supreme Court. Partisan claims that we are at the “eleventh hour” are baseless.

Only after the Senate is fully informed of all that is at stake, including the examination of a nominee’s complete record, can it provide advice and consent. The Constitution demands and the American people expect nothing less. Obviously, that time has not come.

Senators must commit to a fair, thorough process that respects the experiences of survivors of sexual assault. We urge senators to review carefully the proposal submitted yesterday by the National Task Force to End Sexual and Domestic Violence to Chairman Grassley and Ranking Member Feinstein as a path forward.

The integrity of the United States Senate, the Supreme Court, and justice itself are at stake.