Cory Booker quizzes Brett Kavanaugh On Affirmative Action, Race in Supreme Court Nomination Hearing
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New Jersey U.S. Sen. Cory Booker sparked social media this week in his questioning of U.S. Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh during his Senate hearing for a spot on the Supreme Court.
Kavanaugh, currently a U.S. Appeals Court judge, has been nominated by President Donald Trump to replace Anthony Kennedy on the Supreme Court. Booker questioned Kavanaugh about racial issues and disparity along with voter laws during the confirmation hearing in front of the Senate’s Judiciary Committee.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YG6oqzOQDCk
Booker questioned Kavanaugh about his personal opinion on racial issues such as diversity and if he believed racial remedies from past discrimination were “naked racial set-asides.”
According to the Washington Times, at one point Booker reportedly read from emails during his questioning of Kavanaugh, labeling “racial profiling,” and said they related to the practice after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attack. Kavanaugh asked to see the emails before comments.
Republican U.S. Mike Lee complained that either the document needed to be made public or else the questions should have been asked in closed session, the Times said.
Booker had made his feeling on Kavanaugh before the hearing in a statement on the nomination on in July.
“The nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court is enormously concerning and I’m strongly opposed to it,” Booker said in a statement then. “His nomination should be a non-starter for every member of the Senate concerned about the integrity of the special counsel’s investigation and worried about the Court undermining the rights of women to make their own medical decisions; civil rights; the rights of Americans to quality, affordable healthcare; voting rights; the rights of workers to organize for better wages and working conditions; and more.
“President Trump is currently a subject of an ongoing criminal investigation, and any nomination of a Supreme Court justice while that investigation continues is unacceptable because of the clear conflict of interest inherent in the President installing someone who could be the deciding vote on a number of potential issues from that investigation that could come before the Court.
“The fact that Judge Kavanaugh has a long-established view that a President should not be subject to civil litigation or criminal investigation while in office means that President Trump has just nominated a justice who has already reached conclusions on these serious questions. That should raise enormous red flags,” he continued.
Many liberals hailed Booker’s questioning of Kavanaugh this week on social media.
.@SenBooker asks Kavanaugh if racial diversity and equity in educational opporunties is important. Kavanaugh refuses to answer. #StopKavanaugh pic.twitter.com/S2xyoHJjsT
— Reproductive Freedom for All (@reproforall) September 6, 2018
.@SenBooker: Do you think government efforts promoting racial diversity are a "naked racial set aside"?
Kavanaugh waffles giving information about precedent, personal efforts to promote diversity, and wondering about the source, but refuses to answer the question. #StopKavanaugh pic.twitter.com/R6QCZz35tO
— People For the American Way (@peoplefor) September 6, 2018
Thank you @CoryBooker for pressing #Kavanaugh on voting rights. Voter suppression and voting discrimination are real. Kavanaugh’s opinion signing off on South Carolina #voterid law despite evidence of discriminatory purpose and effect. pic.twitter.com/fY4OiR2SOT
— Kristen Clarke (@KristenClarkeJD) September 6, 2018
"That's why this system is rigged. The one email that is entitled 'Racial Profiling' has somehow been designated as something the public couldn't see. This isn't a national security issue whatsoever. And that's why I'm saying the system is rigged."@SenBooker #WhatAreTheyHiding
— Feminist Majority (@FemMajority) September 6, 2018
Senator @CoryBooker calls Kavanaugh's hearing process rigged, and he's right. Where are the other 96% of his records the public hasn't been allowed to see?
"The process is unfair, it's unnecessary, it's unjust, and it's unprecedented on this committee." #StopKavanaugh pic.twitter.com/G0HsitR3YI
— CAP Action (@CAPAction) September 6, 2018
There were dissenters as well.
Booker is a person of color, right? A U.S. senator. I'm missing our need for his definition of "diversity". Which by the way is to make hiring and enrollment choices based solely on race.
— Jeremy Miller (@JeremyShadyone) September 6, 2018
Let’s look at words and correspondence. Booker is a giant piece of ?.
— Andy (@Bulldog6355) September 6, 2018
All this Booker dude knows is being black. That's sad
— Justin (@Justin17196162) September 6, 2018
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