Judge Brett Kavanaugh, whom President Donald Trump nominated earlier this summer to replace former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy, reportedly said he believes Roe v. Wade is “settled law.”
Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) told reporters Tuesday that she spoke with Kavanaugh about the landmark 1973 decision that legalized abortion across the entire country. She said he told her he “agreed with what Justice [John] Roberts said at his nomination hearing, at which he said that it was settled law.”
Following her meeting with #SCOTUS nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh, @SenatorCollins says on Roe v. Wade that "he said that he agreed with what Justice Roberts said at his nomination hearing in which he said that it was settled law." pic.twitter.com/mHmFD3b6Tr
— CSPAN (@cspan) August 21, 2018
Collins’ comments about Kavanaugh came after the two had a nearly two-hour closed-door meeting, which the senator described as both “thorough” and “excellent.”
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The Maine lawmaker is one of the final Republican senators to sit down with Trump’s Supreme Court nominee and is widely considered to be a possible swing vote. She told reporters she wouldn’t be making a final decision until sometimes in September, when the U.S. Senate holds hearings on Kavanaugh’s nomination.
Kavanaugh’s reported comments about Roe v. Wade contradict Trump’s declaration on the campaign trial that one or two conservative high court appointments would “automatically” result in the overturning of the controversial decision.