Kavanaugh says a 'good judge must be an umpire,' not an idealogue

"A good judge must be an umpire — a neutral and impartial arbiter who favors no litigant or policy," Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh said in a statement released in advance of the first day of his confirmation hearings Tuesday.

Kavanaugh went on to sketch a portrait of a justice as an objective legal filter, unbound by ideology and unswayed by anything but the law. "I don't decide cases based on personal or policy preferences," he said. "I am not a pro-plaintiff or pro-defendant judge. I am not a pro-prosecution or pro-defense judge. I am a pro-law judge."

For senators on opposing sides of the aisle, the question remains: Which law? Kavanaugh's supporters on the right generally hope him to be a constitutional originalist, while Democrats are worried he will not abide by his reported assurance to moderate Republican Sen. Susan Collins (Maine) that Roe v. Wade is "settled law." Read more from The Week's Joel Mathis on what you should know as the hearings move forward.

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