Feinstein: In the 50s and 60s, I saw what happened to young women who became pregnant. When you look at the statistics during those days (by Guttmacher Institute), it's horrendous.
Feinstein: President who nominated you have said he was anti-choice and pro-gun. And we believe what he's said.
Feinstein: Last year you drafted a dissent in Garza v. Hargan. I believed you mischaracterized Supreme Court precedent.
You are willing to disregard precedent.
There is some Supreme Court counter programming coming up momentarily, at least on the East Coast. Justice Sonia Sotomayor will appear on today's season premiere of "The View" on ABC. (Check your local listings.) She is promoting her new books, a middle school version of her memoir called "The Beloved World of Sonia Sotomayor," and a children's illustrated version titled "Turning Pages: My Life Story." I'm going to see if I can get the staff here to switch over one of the TV monitors in the room to that show.
Feinstein: President promised a nominee blessed by NRA. In reviewing your record, it's clear you go beyond being pro-gun.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, Republican of South Carolina, is now here and has taken his seat between Sens. Orrin Hatch and John Cornyn.
During this time, Feinstein has been talking about how important gun protections are, and she mentions the shootings at Sandy Hook in particular. If the Supreme Court adopts Kavanaugh's views, the number of victims will continue to grow and citizens will be powerless to address this issue.
Feinstein: You yourself said that being staff secretary was your period of greatest growth. The only way we can look at that is by reviewing documents from that period. [This goes back to the Democrats' main point from the beginning of the hearing this morning.]
Now it's Sen. Hatch's turn. He calls this the most thorough confirmation process he's ever participated in.
Hatch is citing his experience with confirmations, including for every current sitting justice. You are a great nominee, he tells Kavanaugh.
Hatch: Supreme Court has adopted positions from your opinions no less than 13 times: in administrative law and national security, among other issues.
A new crowd has been brought in to the audience, and we just had two more interruptions (including one woman pushed pretty hard).
Hatch is complaining about the interruptions.
There are chants of "Stop Kavanaugh" and "Hell no" from the people just brought to the hallway. Meanwhile, Hatch is talking about Kavanaugh's personal qualities, including statements of support from his past law clerks of his who are women.
These clerks span the political divide, Hatch says. He is showing a capacity to go ahead with his remarks, even as there are points in which the room is quite loud.
Hatch: Kavanaugh indisputably qualified. Hatch cites a former lawyer of Bill Clinton who has written a letter in favor of the nomination.
Hatch: Judge, I'm sorry you are going to have to go through some of this nonsense.
Hatch: I'm not sure if the committee should have to put up with this. These people are so out of line they should not be allowed in the "god damn" room.
Feinstein is now going to recognize some people in attendance, including Vanita Gupta of the Leadership Conference, Sherrilyn Ifill of NAACP LDF, Kristen Clarke of the Lawyers' Commitee, among others. There is also a survivor of the Parkland shootings.
Sen. Leahy is now giving his statement. I've never seen such a dangerous rush to fill a seat.
Leahy: Trump said he would appoint judges who would dismantle Roe v. Wade and the Affordable Care Act. That's judicial activism.
Leahy: You (Kavanaugh) may also have intrigued Trump because of your unorthodox position that presidents should not be burdened with investigations while in office.
Leahy: Hard for me to imagine that these views escaped the notice of President Trump.
Kavanaugh taking notes as Leahy mentions previous experience as a political operative in the Bush administration.
Leahy: The hearing is meant to be an examination of a nominee for a lifetime appointment that gives the American people a genuine opportunity to scrutinize the nominee's philosophy, belief, and character, because nominee may impact lives for generation or more.
Leahy: So much has been wrong with the vetting of this nomination, I don't know where to begin. You should not be sitting in front of us today, only after we've completed view of your record. We have abandoned tradition.
Leahy: The Republicans refuse to request documents from staff secretary, including abortion, same-sex marriage, and torture. But in private meeting with White House counsel, decision by Republicans made to keep those records off limits.
Two more interruptions. Leahy says he does not intend to continue to speak during such an interruption. He doesn't care whose side they are on, he says.
Leahy: During Garland nomination, Republicans showed they were willing to have patience in filling vacancies.
Leahy: What is being hidden and why? Every document received handpicked by deputy in Bush White House who also represents certain Trump officials. This person decided which documents the Senate and American people got to see.
Leahy: No court in this country would accept this as a legitimate document production.
Leahy: The notion that anyone here has properly reviewed the available documents is laughable.
Leahy (again): What is being hidden and why? Today Senate not simply phoning in vetting obligations, we're discarding it. It's a sham.
Leahy: Senate can be and should be the conscious of the nation. Today with this hearing it is not being the conscious of the nation.
Leahy: It appears you provided misleading testimony during your hearing for the last nomination. I will return to this during questioning.
Leahy: This is most incomplete vetting I've ever seen, and I've seen more nominations than any other senator here today.
Sen. John Cornyn, Republican of Texas, now up for his statement.
That last post composed a while ago. Again, sorry for the technical difficulties.
Cornyn: SJC undertakes few more important tasks than SCOTUS confirmations.
I just took a walk outside the hearing room. There are still women dressed in Handmaid's Tale costumes in the Hart lobby.
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