Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh was the least likely among President Trump’s list of potential nominees to drastically shift the court to the right, according to legal expert Alan Dershowitz.
“Of the four people on the list he, Kavanaugh, was the least likely to move the court extremely to the right,” Dershowitz told Hill.TV co-host Buck Sexton during a “Rising” interview that aired Tuesday.
But he noted that any appointment made by Trump would have affected the balance of the court and move it a little further to the right.
Other potential nominees on Trump’s short list reportedly included Thomas Hardiman, Amy Coney Barrett, Raymond Kethledge and Amul Thapar.
Dershowitz, an opinion contributor to The Hill, said he would have preferred to see Merrick Garland confirmed to the Supreme Court.
Former President Obama nominated Garland in 2016 to replace the late Justice Antonin Scalia. But Republicans, who controlled the Senate, refused to hold a hearing on his nomination. His nomination expired in early January 2017.
“I wanted to see Merrick Garland on the Supreme Court,” Dershowitz said. “The Republicans stole that nomination from President Obama and the Democrats, so I’m not happy with any outcome that reflects that constitutional theft.”
Trump held a swearing-in ceremony for Kavanaugh on Monday at the White House, where the president apologized for “for the terrible pain and suffering” that Kavanaugh and his family went through during the confirmation process.
Tuesday marked Kavanaugh’s first day hearing oral arguments at the Supreme Court.
— Tess Bonn
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