Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh's former colleagues at the Kirkland & Ellis law firm sent a letter Monday to the chairman and ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee urging his confirmation by the Senate.
Sixteen former colleagues of Kavanaugh, who was nominated by President Donald Trump in early July, sent a letter to Sens. Chuck Grassley (R., Iowa) and Dianne Feinstein (D., Calif.) expressing their support of his nomination to be the next Supreme Court associate justice.
"We all worked with Brett when he was a partner at Kirkland & Ellis in the late 1990s and early 2000s. We saw first hand that he consistently displayed a keen intellect, sound judgment, exceptional analytical ability, and the highest level of integrity in representing our clients," the former colleagues wrote. "Beyond that, we learned that Brett is an unfailingly fair-minded, kind, and modest person, that he has a great, self-deprecating sense of humor, and that he was always an amiable colleague. We are all proud to have worked with him."
They went on to emphasize their "broad range of political views" and discuss some of the qualities they believe will make him an "outstanding justice."
"Although we hold a broad range of political views, we all believe that Brett is well suited by his talent, collegial demeanor, and integrity to be an outstanding justice on the Supreme Court. We strongly support his nomination and urge his confirmation by the Senate," they concluded.
The signees of the joint letter include Eugene F. Assaf, Daniel F. Attridge, James F. Basile, Jeffrey Bossert Clark, Stuart C. Drake, James P. Gillespie, John S. Irving, Jay P. Lefkowitz, Jack S. Levin, Jennifer Levy, Patrick F. Philbin, Craig S. Primis, R. Timothy Stephenson, Karen N. Walker, Edward W. Warren and Thomas D. Yannucci.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.) vowed a vote will happen this fall before midterm elections. With the passing of Sen. John McCain (R., Ariz.), Republicans control the Senate 50-49, and the vote may depend on Republicans and vulnerable Democrats in red states. McCain's seat will likely be filled by another Republican appointed by Arizona Gov. Doug Ducy (R.), and the appointee would fill the seat until the 2020 election. The governor's office said it will not name a replacement until after McCain's burial, scheduled for Sunday.