Mitch McConnell on Kavanaugh: “I think everyone understands there is a presumption of innocence. We should go into these hearings with a presumption of innocence.”
No. The Senate confirmation process isn’t “due process” for judicial nominees. It’s our due process. It’s there to protect us, the American public, from unqualified nominees. There’s a reason why it takes a majority vote to confirm a nominee. If there is a presumption, it’s that the nominee is unqualified until they convince a majority of the Senate otherwise.
If a judicial nominee gets criminally charged or sued, then the nominee deserves due process because their rights are being put on the line. But serving on a federal court isn’t a right.
Right now, we deserve due process to protect our right to qualified Supreme Court Justices. When Senators try to ram a confirmation through without seriously investigating credible accusations against a nominee, they make a mockery of the entire reason we have Senate confirmation proceedings. We don’t have these proceedings to protect nominees; we have these proceedings to protect us.