Sen. Chuck Grassley (R., Iowa) announced Friday the Senate Judiciary Committee will begin confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh on Tuesday, Sept. 4.
Grassley, chairman of the Judiciary Committee, said he expects the hearings to last three or four days. Members of the committee will be able to make opening statements on Sept. 4 and questioning will commence the next day.
Following the hearings and the vote from the committee, Kavanaugh's nomination would then be considered by the full Senate.
Grassley praised Kavanaugh as a highly respected and qualified nominee.
"As I said after his nomination, Judge Kavanaugh is one of the most respected jurists in the country and one of the most qualified nominees ever to be considered by the Senate for a seat on our highest court," Grassley said. "My team has already reviewed every page of the over 4,800 pages of judicial opinions Judge Kavanaugh wrote, over 6,400 pages of opinion he joined, more than 125,000 pages of records produced from his White House legal service, and over 17,000 pages in response to the most comprehensive questionnaire ever submitted to a nominee."
He further touted the nominee as a mainstream judge with a record of "applying the law as it is written."
"He’s a mainstream judge. He has a record of judicial independence and applying the law as it is written," Grassley said. "He’s met with dozens of senators who have nothing but positive things to say. At this current pace, we have plenty of time to review the rest of emails and other records that we will receive from President Bush and the National Archives. It’s time for the American people to hear directly from Judge Kavanaugh at his public hearing."
The 184,000 pages turned over to the committee from his time at the White House and as part of Independent Counsel Kenneth Starr's work constitutes the largest turnover of documents from the Executive Branch regarding a nominee for the Supreme Court, according to the Judiciary Committee.
White House spokesman Raj Shah praised Grassley for his review of Kavanaugh's career and the upcoming hearings.
"With the Senate already reviewing more documents than for any other Supreme Court nominee in history, Chairman Grassley has lived up to his promise to lead an open, transparent and fair process," Shah said. "Judge Kavanaugh looks forward to addressing the Judiciary Committee in public hearings for the American people to view."
President Donald Trump nominated Kavanaugh to fill now-retired Justice Anthony Kennedy's Supreme Court seat on July 9.