President Donald Trump's Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee Tuesday to defend his record and explain his view of the law and the Constitution.
Kavanaugh said his judicial philosophy comes down to following the law without exception, contradicting his critics' claim that he favors corporations and conservative political interests.
"I am not a pro-plaintiff or pro-defendant judge," he said. "I am not a pro-prosecution or pro-defense judge. I am a pro-law judge."
He said his prejudices or political preferences have not influenced how he rules in cases, a point which he supported by pointing out the range of different cases he's handled.
"Over the past twelve years, I've ruled sometimes for the prosecution and sometimes for criminal defendants, sometimes for workers and sometimes for businesses, sometimes for environmentalists and sometimes for coal miners," he said.
"In each case, I have followed the law," he said. "I don’t decide cases based on personal or policy preferences."
He also articulated his own view of how the Supreme Court should focus on the law and strive to correct the perception that the Court has becomes political.
"The Supreme Court must never, never be viewed as a partisan institution," Kavanaugh said. "The justices on the Supreme Court do not sit on opposite sides of an aisle. They do not caucus in separate rooms. If confirmed to the Court, I would be part of a team of nine, committed to deciding cases according to the Constitution and laws of the United States. I would always strive to be a team player on the team of nine."
Kavanaugh's hearing began with an immediate disruption from Democrats calling for the process to be delayed. Sen. Dick Durbin (D., Ill.) confirmed that Democrats planned this ahead of time, and they ended up interrupting 76 times throughout the hearing's first day.