The American Bar Association is rethinking its conclusion that Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh is “well qualified,” according to news site Axios.
The association is reopening its evaluation of the judge and his “temperament” in light of his emotional testimony last week before the Senate Judiciary Committee, defending himself against sexual assault allegations by Dr. Christine Blasey Ford. Ford claims Kavanaugh attempted to rape her when the two were in high school, but Kavanaugh denies the accusation.
“This confirmation process has become a national disgrace,” he said during his testimony, claiming the accusations against him are a “calculated and orchestrated political hit.”
His behavior during the hearing prompted many to question his fitness for the nation’s top court. In a letter to the Senate, the American Bar Association said it was reevaluating Kavanaugh, despite having previously supported his nomination.
“New information of a material nature regarding temperament during the Sept. 27 hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee has prompted a reopening of the Standing Committee’s evaluation,” reads the letter, Bloomberg reports.
The letter was reported just before the Senate passed a procedural vote Friday morning, opening the door to a confirmation vote within the next 30 hours.
“The Committee does not expect to complete a process and re-vote prior to the scheduled Senate vote,” the Bar Association’s letter continues, aware of the tight timeline. “Our original report must be read in conjunction with the foregoing. Our original rating stands.”
Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) also read a letter from 2,400 law professors Friday, opposing Kavanaugh’s confirmation. Like the Bar Association, the professors cited the judge’s behavior at last week’s testimony.
“We have differing views…But we are united, as professors of law and scholars of judicial institutions, in believing that he did not display the impartiality and judicial temperament requisite to sit on the highest court of our land,” the professors wrote, according to Bloomberg.
In an op-ed to The Wall Street Journal Thursday, Kavanaugh admitted that he “might have been too emotional” and “said a few things I should not have said” during his testimony.
Going forward, Kavnaugh wrote, “you can count on me to be the same kind of judge and person I have been for my entire 28-year legal career: hardworking, even-keeled, open-minded, independent and dedicated to the Constitution and the public good.”
