Judging a Judge

Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh faced tough questions last week. That is when Senate confirmation hearings × hearing ROBERT DALY/GETTY IMAGES a meeting at which arguments are presented to a person or group who will decide what action should be taken (noun) The judge granted a hearing in the court case. took place. The hearings were to decide if Kavanaugh should sit on the nation’s top court. President Donald Trump nominated Kavanaugh. Kavanaugh would replace retired justice Anthony Kennedy.

Members of the Senate Judiciary × judiciary MIKE KLINE/GETTY IMAGES the branch of government that is concerned with the administration of justice (noun) The Supreme Court is the highest court in the United States judiciary. Committee reviewed thousands of documents. These were related to Kavanaugh’s work. Another 42,000 pages of documents were not released until the night before the hearings. And many documents were withheld.

At the hearing, Kavanaugh pledged to be fair. He said that if confirmed, he “would always strive to be a team player on a team of nine.” (The Supreme Court has nine justices.)

For 12 years, Kavanaugh was a federal judge in Washington, D.C. He also worked for President George W. Bush. Past decisions show he has conservative views. Democrats worry that he would make the court more conservative than it is now.

Still, Kavanaugh is expected to be confirmed. It will likely happen by the end of this month. The Supreme Court starts its new term on October 1.