With the Kavanaugh confirmation hearings in full swing, both Democrats and Republicans alike have questions regarding the candidate’s judicial history and how it might predict his stance on future issues.
On the forefront of these is Roe v. Wade. Democrats fear that Kavanaugh will swing the Court to a conservative majority, creating a situation where the 1973 ruling could possibly be overturned. Additionally, Kavanaugh is expected to answer questions about heated topics such as the scope of executive power, health care, gun control and same-sex marriage.
We invite legal analysts from both sides of the aisle to discuss the candidate’s leanings on these issues and how they might play out if elected to the Supreme Court.
You can watch the hearing live at NPR.org.
Guests:
Domenico Montanaro, lead political editor at NPR; he tweets
Erwin Chemerinsky, dean and professor of law at UC Berkeley, who focuses on federal courts, constitutional law and appellate litigation; founding dean of the School of Law at UC Irvine; author of ten books, including “The Case Against the Supreme Court” (Penguin Books, 2015)
Josh Blackman, associate professor of law at South Texas College of Law; author of “Unraveled: Obamacare, Religious Liberty, and Executive Power” (Cambridge University Press, 2017); he tweets
Ilya Somin, professor of law at George Mason University where he specializes in constitutional law; he tweets