Former Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy said the heated confirmation process for his successor on the court showed that the process for nominating judges worked.
Kennedy’s comments in an interview with Bloomberg News earlier this month follow Brett Kavanaugh’s contentious confirmation in the Senate, which was endangered by allegations of sexual assault from three women, which he has strongly denied.
{mosads}”The public will see that the system works,” Kennedy said, adding he was “happy” with Kavanaugh as his replacement on the court.
“We’re the only branch of the government that gives reasons for what we do,” he added. “And this is to compel allegiance to our decision. But it seems to me that the public will very soon see that the court is operating in a collegial, deliberative, thoughtful and inspiring way.”
Kavanaugh was confirmed to the court on a narrow vote, with one GOP senator voting against President Trump’s nominee and one Democrat, Sen. Joe Manchin (W.Va.), voting in support of his confirmation.