Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Democratic Senator Just Announced He's Going to Court to Block a Final Vote on Brett Kavanaugh

Democratic Senator Just Announced He's Going to Court to Block a Final Vote on Brett Kavanaugh
Credit: Lukas Schulze/Saul Loebe/Getty Images

Plot twist.

As Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee fight to proceed with the confirmation of Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh, Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR) launched a new attack: a federal injunction which the senator hopes can delay a final vote.

Though the focus of Kavanaugh's controversial nomination has recently been centered around the multiple allegations of sexual assault against him, Merkley's injunction is regarding a plethora of missing or withheld documents from Kavanaugh's time with the administration of George W. Bush. Multiple Senate Judiciary Democrats voiced concerns over the missing documents during Kavanaugh's initial hearing.


Republicans frequently insisted that the release of these documents was not necessary, but judging by this injunction, Merkley firmly disagrees. He alleges that the withholding of the documents hinders his constitutional mandate as a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee to adequately advise and consent to Supreme Court nominees.

Merkley said in a statement to Politico:

“The unprecedented obstruction of the Senate’s advice and consent obligation is an assault on the separation of powers and a violation of the Constitution. The President and Mitch McConnell want to ram through this nomination come hell or high water, without real advice or informed consent by the Senate, but that’s just not how our Constitution works.”

Merkley announced the news on Twitter today.

Twitter users were all in.

The grounds for the injunction may not directly mention the growing allegations of sexual assault against Judge Kavanaugh, but their presence is certainly felt as the stakes of the confirmation grow higher and its certainty more tenuous.

Merkley mentioned the allegations in his statement as well:

“The events of the past ten days have only underscored how critical it is that the Senate conduct a careful and comprehensive review of a nominee before giving its consent."

Though the injunction relies only on whether or not the concealment of the documents hindered Merkley's and Senate Judiciary Democrats' ability to advise and consent on Kavanaugh, many supporters of the move saw it as the right thing to do in light of the claims.

Merkley is rumored to be considering a presidential run in 2020. It's unclear how likely the injunction is to succeed at delaying confirmation, but what is certain is that the divide between Republicans and Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee is turning into a chasm.

More from News

Lynda Carter; Screenshot of Donald Trump
Stephane Cardinale/Corbis via Getty Images; Newsmax

Lynda Carter Hilariously Channels Wonder Woman In Response To Trump's Claim About 'Undetectable' Planes

After President Donald Trump touted the U.S. military's "stealth" planes that he described as "undetectable," Wonder Woman star Lynda Carter responded to his claim with a funny quip sure to delight fans of her iconic character.

Earlier, Trump boasted about the military's capabilities in remarks to reporters in the Oval Office amid heightened concerns about the ongoing Israel-Iran conflict that is sending shockwaves throughout the Middle East and around the world:

Keep ReadingShow less
red flag with pole on seashore
Seoyeon Choi on Unsplash

People Break Down The 'Silent Red Flags' Folks Tend To Ignore In Relationships

A red flag has come to mean any warning sign in life, in addition to the literal red flags that are placed on beaches or industrial sites to warn people of danger.

People will respond to situations by saying, "That’s a red flag." But before that language evolved, they'd just call them "warning signs."

Keep ReadingShow less
Ted Cruz; Tucker Carlson
The Tucker Carlson Show

Tucker Carlson And Ted Cruz Get Into Shouting Match Over Iran In Bonkers Interview Clip

Texas Republican Senator Ted Cruz—a harsh Donald Trump critic-turned-MAGA minion—sat down with fired Fox News personality Tucker Carlson for the conservative influencer's self-produced online content,The Tucker Carlson Show, for the Tucker Carlson Network.

On Tuesday, Carlson shared a 1.5-minute clip revealing that things got contentious when the pair touched on the Trump administration's escalating tensions with Iran.

Keep ReadingShow less
Donald Trump; Barack Obama
Suzanne Plunkett-Pool/Getty Images; Scott Olson/Getty Images

Resurfaced Trump Tweet Criticizing Obama Over Iran Comes Back To Bite Him

Amid tensions with Iran, President Donald Trump was criticized for hypocrisy after social media users resurfaced a 2013 tweet in which he accused former President Barack Obama of planning an attack on Iran because of his "inability to negotiate properly."

Trump has declined to clarify whether the U.S. is edging closer to launching strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities, following a warning from Iran’s supreme leader against any attack and a rejection of Trump’s demand for surrender.

Keep ReadingShow less
​​Elon Musk
Allison Robbert/AFP via Getty Images

Anti-Elon Banner at Stanford

Stanford University graduates were given creative advice from above as an airplane flew over the graduation ceremony with a banner reading, “CONGRATS! DON’T WORK FOR ELON.”

The moment was captured last Sunday during the university’s 134th Commencement ceremony, where the Class of 2025 received their degrees at Stanford Stadium.

Keep ReadingShow less