Associated Press
Supreme Court Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg speaks about her work and gender equality at the Georgetown University Law Center in Washington, Tuesday, July 2, 2019. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
- Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on Wednesday said Justice Brett Kavanaugh is a "very decent" person.
- "My two newest colleagues are very decent, very smart individuals," Ginsburg said.
- Ginsburg has criticized the chaotic confirmation process surrounding Kavanaugh's nomination to the Supreme Court in the past, and echoed these frustrations on Wednesday.
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Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on Wednesday night referred to her colleague Justice Brett Kavanaugh as a "very decent" person as she lamented what she characterized as the "dysfunction" surrounding the confirmation process for new justices.
After delivering a speech on the 2018 Supreme Court term and the late former Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens, Ginsburg participated in a question-and-answer session with Duke Law professor Neil Siegel at an event for prospective law students held by Duke University.
Siegel at one point stated that "nominees for the Supreme Court are not chosen primarily anymore for independence, legal ability, [and] personal decency, and I wonder if that's a loss for all of us."
Ginsburg replied by defending Kavanaugh and her other relatively new colleague, Justice Neil Gorsuch, according to the National Review.
"My two newest colleagues are very decent, very smart individuals," Gisburg said.
Gisburg said that the confirmation process for both of her new colleagues, who were nominated by President Donald Trump, was far too divisive. She said that despite the fact she was a "flaming feminist" when nominated to the Supreme Court in 1993, she was confirmed by a 96-3 vote and the process was much smoother.
Ginsburg expressed hope that "patriots on both sides of the aisle" step up and reject the "dysfunction" surrounding confirmations moving forward.
The liberal Supreme Court justice has expressed displeasure with the nature of the confirmation process for Kavanaugh in the past, slamming it as a "highly partisan show" in September 2018.
Kavanaugh's confirmation hearings were highly dramatic as he faced allegations of sexual misconduct from multiple women that nearly derailed his ascendance to the nation's highest court. He continues to be a subject of division in Washington.