Kavanaugh insists he would be an independent, impartial justice in Wall Street Journal op-ed


Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh is asking for a mulligan. In an op-ed in The Wall Street Journal published online Thursday night and in print on Friday, when he faces a pivotal vote in the Senate, Kavanaugh steps back to the day he was nominated, when he "explained" that "a good judge must be an umpire — a neutral and impartial arbiter who favors no political party, litigant, or policy." That's the kind of justice he would be, Kavanaugh insisted, not the "very emotional" man whose "tone was sharp" and who "said a few things I should not have said" as he "forcefully and passionately denied the allegation against me" in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee last week.
Kavanaugh says that he was so "forceful and passionate" because he'd been "subjected to wrongful and sometimes vicious allegations" and was distressed "at the unfairness of how this allegation has been handled." He does not mention Christine Blasey Ford, who testified the same day that he had tried to rape her in high school, and he doesn't address the false things he said under oath. But he does insist he won't act that way again. "Going forward, 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," he writes. "I have not changed."
More than 2,400 law professors, retired Justice John Paul Stevens, and other jurists have cited Kavanaugh's testimony in withdrawing their support for his nomination. "The Brett Kavanaugh who showed up to Thursday's hearing is a man I have never met, whom I have never even caught a glimpse of in 20 years of knowing the person who showed up to the first hearing," Lawfare editor-in-chief Benjamin Wittes writes in The Atlantic. His partisan testimony "blew across lines that I believe a justice still needs to hold," and "it was not just an angry and aggressive version of the person I have known. It seemed like a different person altogether." You can read Kavanaugh's assertion that it won't happen again at The Wall Street Journal.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
September 1 editorial cartoons
Cartoons Monday’s political cartoons include Labor Day picnic, branding strategy, and more
-
What is Tony Blair's plan for Gaza?
Today's Big Question Former PM has reportedly been putting together a post-war strategy 'for the past several months'
-
When does autumn begin?
The Explainer The UK is experiencing a 'false autumn', as climate change shifts seasonal weather patterns
-
Florida erases rainbow crosswalk at Pulse nightclub
Speed Read The colorful crosswalk was outside the former LGBTQ nightclub where 49 people were killed in a 2016 shooting
-
Trump says Smithsonian too focused on slavery's ills
Speed Read The president would prefer the museum to highlight 'success,' 'brightness' and 'the future'
-
Trump to host Kennedy Honors for Kiss, Stallone
Speed Read Actor Sylvester Stallone and the glam-rock band Kiss were among those named as this year's inductees
-
White House seeks to bend Smithsonian to Trump's view
Speed Read The Smithsonian Institution's 21 museums are under review to ensure their content aligns with the president's interpretation of American history
-
Charlamagne Tha God irks Trump with Epstein talk
Speed Read The radio host said the Jeffrey Epstein scandal could help 'traditional conservatives' take back the Republican Party
-
CBS cancels Colbert's 'Late Show'
Speed Read 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' is ending next year
-
Shakespeare not an absent spouse, study proposes
speed read A letter fragment suggests that the Shakespeares lived together all along, says scholar Matthew Steggle
-
New Mexico to investigate death of Gene Hackman, wife
speed read The Oscar-winning actor and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead in their home with no signs of foul play