Thread by @spdustin

Stand ready to be furious at the US Senate today.

More documents than the last five justices combined? I suspect that’s an outright lie.

Let’s make the guy who doesn’t know how to turn on a fucking microphone a damn SCOTUS judge.

Yes, MERRICK GARLAND.

Cornyn can jump up my ass. “Contempt of court,” he suggests for the Democratic members of the committee.

Yeah, Grassley it is boring to hear the same thing all the time. But it’s also the way the US Congress works. Do you have something else to get to?

JFC that contempt of court, it was outright ridiculous.

Grassley: “using the standard set by two members of your party.”

Well, Mr. Grassley, using the standard set by your party’s leader, this hearing should be continued for at least a year.

Feinstein makes a reasoned argument, as someone who’s been through NINE SCOTUS appointment hearings.

“93% of Kavanaugh’s record...has not been provided to the Senate.”

Grassley won’t allow a seconded motion to postpone to be heard because it’s not an executive session. Someone is the gallery is heard yelling in protest.

Blumenthal: “Just because the chairman says it’s out of order doesn’t mean it actually is out of order. We have a lot of lawyers in the room.”

Grassley: “proper respect and decorum” is called for. It would be respectful to allow a vote on the motions properly brought to the committee.

Hirono asks if Democrats must pre-clear questions and videos they want to present to the committee. Grassley doesn’t know what the answer is.

Hirono says it’s unprecedented that Democrats have had to pre-clear questions or videos.

Grassley says pre-clearing is about presenting videos, but any questions can be asked.

Durbin, on a phone conference where Schumer said the committee should stall: the call was about the hundreds of thousands of documents that Chairman Grassley has withheld.

Blumenthal brings receipts, quoting Rule 4 to support his motion to adjourn.

Grassley says it doesn’t apply when not in executive session.

Again, yelling is heard from the gallery. Lots of it, over top of Grassley.

Grassley: “I don’t know why my Democratic colleagues objected...” to the documents provided to them.

40,000+ were dumped on them last night. It’s not expediency, it’s about the laws of physics—the time to read them.

Lahey: I’ve been “present for 19 nominations”, that’s four more than you, Chairman. 👏 (I paraphrased 😁 better than Grassley did)

Klobuchar asks if she can respond since Grassley invoked her name.

He tells her to wait until he’s done (he wanted to read a prepared response to Leahy’s commentary).

Grassley then continued to mischaracterize Leahy’s past remarks. Leahy is pissed.

Klobuchar: I asked for all the documents be made public so that we can ask questions. Also, where are the 100,000+ documents? When had executive privilege been used to block those during a SCOTUS nomination.

Cornyn, stop clutching your pearls. Decorum doesn’t mean opposition is uncalled for.

Blumenthal with more receipts (writ large on posterboard) on his motion to adjourn to allow time to review documents.

Durbin wants to know the bona fides of the private attorney who declared 140,000+ documents to be marked as committee confidential.

Grassley continues his assertion that this isn’t executive session and he won’t entertain motions.

Coons: why did you tell Archives not to respond to Democratic requests for documents?

Grassley: “those documents are the least useful in understanding his legal views.”

He’s neglecting to note that the same request for Archives’ documents was allowed in previous SCOTUS nominations.

Harris: 6-7 million pages exist for this document. You’ve only requested 10-15% of the total.

“This is hearing about who will sit on the highest court of our land.”

It’s about, “due process and TRANSPARENCY,” that’s why we have public court hearings.

Blumenthal: “this hearing is unlike any other” because this administration had sought to obscure information unlike any other administration.

Also, Rule 4 has, “no requirement that we be in executive session.”

Hirono: Don’t use staff secretaries as your excuse to hide documents. The judge himself says that the documents reference the, “most formative time of his adult life.”

Booker: 90% of Kavanaugh’s record has been withheld. It’s not about the numbers, it’s about the percentages.

Booker: “this committee has ceded control to an outside partisan lawyer.”

Another gallery member heard yelling in protest, now being escorted out by officers. She can still be heard on the way out.

More voices being raised in protest. Women have had enough of Grassley’s shit.

More protesters heard yelling. Grassley's trying to speak over them. He's reading some historical context from a prepared statement. He's made it clear he doesn't give a shit about procedural rules.

Gallery members continue to voice protests over his monologue.

In case you're wondering, Grassley (who wants to hurry this through) is still reading from a prepared statement. Democrats are not interrupting to be recognized by the chair.

Feinstein: "It's important that the people...know how we feel."

Feinstein, on Roe v. Wade: Kavanaugh said it was settled law, but that doesn't mean he feels that it is *correct* law.

Feinstein: the president who nominated you'd said he'd find someone who was anti-choice and pro-gun. And I believe him.

Grassley is fidgeting and groaning that the woman next to him (Feinstein) is still talking. He seems very impatient.

Feinstein: "The impact of overturning Roe is much broader than a woman's right to choose"

Feinstein, to Kavanaugh, on his anachronistic opinions that laws on guns can't be changed: "Gun laws are unconstitutional."

Feinstein: your opinions on gun laws are worse than Scalia's.

(Damn.)

"We make up 4% of the worldwide population, but own 42% of the world's guns."

Feinstein, referring to his views on gun control, suggests that Kavanaugh's installment into SCOTUS could cost more lives.

Feinstein: It's important that we keep a court that serves the people.

Hatch: "This has been the most thorough process" I've participated in.

He's continuing to "create a narrative" folks.

I won't narrate Hatch's opening statement any further beyond this: the clarity of his voice is astonishing given how deeply his nose is buried in Kavanaugh's rear end.

Women in the gallery have had enough of Orrin Hatch's shit, too. He wants "this loudmouth removed"

Hatch is going to have a coronary trying to yell over the women protesting in the gallery. This is a beautiful thing to behold.

Holy shit, that was some serious screaming just now. Anyone see another camera angle? Were officers being rough?

"STOP KAVANAUGH! HELL NO, KAVANAUGH!"

Hatch refers to the protesters as exhibiting insolence.

Feinstein introduces some folks in the audience. She's introducing a number of folks focused on civil rights, a parent of a Parkland shooting, a cancer survivor, LGBTQ advocates, marriage equality advocates, and Native American tribe members.

Leahy makes clear that Trump wants to stack the deck against women's choice, health care, and voting rights. He brings up that Kavanaugh doesn't feel presidents should deal with criminal litigation; reminds us that Trump just attempted to end current cases against GOP members.

Leahy: "I never thought the committee would sink to this...you shouldn't even be sitting in front of us today."

I'll note that no Democratic member of the committee has been interrupted by protesters. 🤔

I spoke too soon. One woman was just hauled out for interrupting Leahy by screaming at Kavanaugh. Leahy didn't appreciate it.

Leahy: "And my question still recurs: What is being hidden? And why?"

Leahy states that some responsive records have been ALTERED without explanation.

Hatch is rocking back and forth in his chair with his eyes closed as Leahy speaks.

Leahy: "Nothing about this is normal. All told, just 4% of your record has been shared with the public…compare this to the 99% of Justice Kagen's White House records made available to the American public…what is being hidden, and why?"

Senator Leahy: "Today the Senate is not simply phoning in our vetting obligation, we're discarding it. It's not only shameful, it's a sham."

Lahey: "Any claim that this has been a thorough or transparent process is downright Orwellian."

Grassley says Leahy's assertions are ridiculous.

Booker: "We wouldn't hire an intern with 90% of their resume missing."

Cornyn says Democratic Senators have already made up their minds.

Senator Hatch said a short time ago that "we will confirm" Kavanaugh.

Not one Democratic member of this committee has stated that they won't confirm Kavanaugh.

So, who's made up their mind?

And now we hear from women who have had enough of Cornyn's shit, too. Police are warning gallery members to be quiet.

I see some men in the crowd. Why are they keeping their powder dry? Do they lack the testicular fortitude to speak up?

There we go, one dude speaking up. He's being escorted out.

A woman before and after him escorted out by police as well.

"HELL NO, KAVANAUGH," and another woman escorted out by police.

Cornyn says this obstruction is extraordinary.

Ahem.

Cough.

Ahem.

MERRICK GARLAND, YOU ASS.

Durbin: "What we've heard [from the protesters in the gallery] is the noise of Democracy…it is not mob rule."

Durbin: Try as they might, the GOP can't get around that they're obscuring information about Kavanaugh's history.

Durbin: The President attacks members of the justice department daily, and he's decided that you're his man. I'm sure he'll rage tweet later today, maybe even about me, and I invite it.

Durbin: Trump delegated the choice of SCOTUS to special interest groups.

Senator Durbin brings out quotes proving that Kavanaugh is going to overturn Roe and Obamacare.

Durbin: It's interesting that folks like you write all these articles, but when you show up at these hearings, you clam up.

Just want to say after hearing Senator Durbin's commentary: I'm proud to have voted for him.

Durbin highlights the "black hole" of information about Kavanaugh's record.

Durbin continues, painting Kavanaugh as mercurial, and as Trump’s finest ally on the bench.

Lee seems to want to go back to the old days, when SCOTUS justices were installed without hearings.

Lee continues to talk about history, cherry picking anecdotes to show that these hearings are a bad idea.

It is noteworthy that no Republican has addressed Democratic concerns; they've only distracted and deflected; in Lee's case, impugning even the confirmation process.

Lee suggests that Americans caring about potential SCOTUS rulings flies in the face of the purpose of the highest court of the land.

Lee suggests that party affiliation doesn't matter to Kavanaugh. If only we could see his record to confirm that assertion.

Lee says, "you support binding precedent," right after listing cases where Kavanaugh ruled to overturn binding precedents.

Pretty sure Ted Cruz is watching PornHub on his Mac next to Senator Lee.

Lee: 'If it is unacceptable for the President to impose a litmus test, it is surely unacceptable for the Senate to do so."

Well, the President did impose one; it is right and just to apply the same logic.

Senator Whitehouse: When does pattern prove bias? He brings receipts on posterboard: the "Roberts 5" were partisan in their decisions 92% of the time.

Whitehouse: "…in 73 cases when a big Republican interest is involved in a case, Republican interests win. Every. Damned. Time."

Folks, the live broadcast can be found on YouTube; I gotta get back to work. I'll have it on in the background and will add to this thread occasionally.

Just wanted to add in that once I heard Ted Cruz' voice in this hearing, my testicles re-ascended into my abdominal cavity.

There’s a wet spot on the table in front of Ted Cruz and I just vomited.

Cruz dares to quote Obama (“elections have consequences”) while blind to the irony that

MERRICK FUCKING GARLAND, YOU MESQUITE-SMOKED TESTICULAR LUMP