Brett Kavanaugh Confirmed To United States Supreme Court

Judge Brett Kavanaugh has been confirmed to the United States Supreme Court, as reported by NPR.

“A sharply divided Senate — reflecting a deeply divided nation — voted almost entirely along party lines Saturday afternoon to confirm Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the U.S. Supreme Court,” reads the NPR report.

As further noted, Kavanaugh was confirmed by a narrow 50-48 vote, as West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin was the only Democrat who joined the Republican senators in standing behind the 53-year-old judge. Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski, a Republican, reportedly voted “present” despite previously saying that she was against Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court nomination. Another Republican senator was not able to vote because he was attending his daughter’s wedding.

“Based on all of the information I have available to me, including the recently completed FBI report, I have found Judge Kavanaugh to be a qualified jurist who will follow the Constitution and determine cases based on the legal findings before him,” read a statement from Manchin.

President Donald Trump’s nominee has undergone incredible scrutiny following his nomination, after multiple women came forward alleging Kavanaugh had sexually assaulted them. Dr. Christine Blasey Ford was the first to come forward with such an allegation, as detailed by a previous Inquisitr report. Later on, Deborah Ramirez and Julie Swetnick went public with similar accusations against Kavanaugh, who denied the allegations from all three women.

Separately, CNBC wrote that Kavanaugh’s “fiery, combative” denials at last week’s Senate hearing galvanized Republican lawmakers to further support him ahead of his confirmation. This was acknowledged by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who said that the protests that took place outside the White House right before the vote were enough to “energize” his fellow Republicans and keep them united behind Kavanaugh.

I applaud and congratulate the U.S. Senate for confirming our GREAT NOMINEE, Judge Brett Kavanaugh, to the United States Supreme Court. Later today, I will sign his Commission of Appointment, and he will be officially sworn in. Very exciting!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 6, 2018

Kavanaugh to be sworn in as U.S. Supreme Court justice on Saturday https://t.co/h15qx3KbS8

— Reuters (@Reuters) October 6, 2018

Prior to Brett Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court confirmation, multiple Republicans praised the judge’s character in their respective statements, as Senate Judiciary Committee chairman Chuck Grassley accused Democrats of launching an “ugly” smear campaign, while Mitch McConnell referred to Kavanaugh as someone who was “among the very best” judges in the country. Trump also spoke to reporters before the vote, saying that Kavanaugh has the potential to “make us all very proud.”

“I also feel very strongly that, in the end, the process, it was really unattractive, but the extra week was something that I think was really good,” the president added.

While the GOP was effusive in its support for Kavanaugh before and after Saturday’s vote, Democrat lawmakers expressed disappointment in his confirmation, as noted by NPR. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said that the confirmation marked a “low moment” not only for the Senate but also for the Supreme Court and the United States. Likewise, Washington Senator Patty Murray lamented that the Senate’s vote to confirm Kavanaugh was comparable to telling girls and women that their “voices don’t matter.”