House Democrats infiltrated the Senate Judiciary Committee’s meeting to protest Kavanaugh

(Image credit: Twitter / Mark Knoller)

The Senate Judiciary Committee voted along party lines Friday morning to move ahead with a vote on embattled Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. The committee vote is scheduled for Friday afternoon; if the panel advances his nomination, as it is expected to do along party lines, a full Senate vote is expected to be held in the coming days.

Committee Democrats, including Sens. Kamala Harris (Calif.), Mazie Hirono (Hawaii), and Richard Blumenthal (Conn.), walked out of the meeting in protest of the majority's barreling forth with Kavanaugh's nomination. But while the Democratic side of the dais remained partly empty, the party's presence was bolstered on the perimeters of the room, where Democratic members of the House stood in protest of the proceedings.

With Republican Sen. Jeff Flake (Ariz.) confirming his support for Kavanaugh earlier Friday, the nominee is all but expected to be confirmed. Read more about how the Supreme Court battle has exposed American politics at its worst here at The Week.