Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Fox News Analyst Just Explained Why Donald Trump's Rhetoric Surrounding Brett Kavanaugh's Confirmation Fight Is So Dangerous for the Court

Fox News Analyst Just Explained Why Donald Trump's Rhetoric Surrounding Brett Kavanaugh's Confirmation Fight Is So Dangerous for the Court
Former Judge Andrew Napolitano on Fox & Friends October 9, 2018. (@revrrlewis/Twitter)

Even Fox News.

On Tuesday morning, the couch at Fox News Fox & Friends continued to celebrate a win for one of their biggest fans, President Donald Trump. However, Fox News senior legal analyst, former judge Andrew Napolitano, is being accused of raining on their victory parade.

Fox & Friends hosts continued to laud the President for his Supreme Court nominee, Brett Kavanaugh, being confirmed by the Senate and handed a lifetime appointment to the SCOTUS. But Judge Napolitano had criticism for Trump's handling of his post confirmation vote public appearances.


On Monday, Trump told reporters Kavanaugh was the target of “a hoax that was set up by Democrats." During a recent rally, the President brought up Kavanaugh versus the Democrats several times.

Congressional Republicans did the same. Both also floated conspiracy theories that those demonstrating opposition to Kavanaugh were paid protesters.

While Napolitano praised Kavanaugh's statements about the court being an undivided, impartial team of nine, he took exception to the President's continuing to push the Kavanaugh versus the Democrats narrative. Napolitano stated:

"I do not think the best thing that was said was 'evil' or 'hoax,' and I honestly wish that the president and his people would get past that."

The former New Jersey Superior Court judge added:

"The Supreme Court does not have an army to enforce its rulings. Its rulings depend upon the intellectual legitimacy of the manner in which the rulings are given, from whom they are given."
"They really have some work to do to patch up the divisions that exist in the public mind. These divisions don’t exist in reality in the court."

Napolitano maintained that Trump and congressional Republicans trying to use Kavanaugh's confirmation process to bolster support in the November midterms hurts their new justice's vow to be impartial in the minds of the public.

Fox & Friends host Steve Doocy interjected to justify the partisanship narrative Trump and the GOP are amplifying surrounding their newly sworn in SCOTUS judge. Doocy pointed out the appointment and confirmation process is political.

But Napolitano corrected him by stating all judicial appointments go through a political confirmation process, including his own. Politicians appoint the judges then the political system of elected officials conducts the review and confirmation.

Then Napolitano added:

"Once you put that [judge's] robe on, you must be divorced from the politics that got you there and the people that got you there. Because your loyalty is to the Constitution and to the laws, not to the human beings that helped you get your job."

The former judge's point being that the longer the President and GOP leadership portray Kavanaugh as "their guy" against the Democrats and those who protest against his appointment, the more they harm Kavanaugh's reputation and appearance of impartiality.

Watch the exchange here.

Reactions online to Trump's strategy appear to confirm Napolitano's criticisms.

While Kavanaugh made highly partisan statements of his own during his confirmation process, he attempted to back away from them. He penned an op-ed to that effect and made a vow of impartiality in his public comments since.

However the President and Republicans repeated statements put him in the pocket of the GOP fighting against the Democrats and liberals and not for the Constitution and rule of law.

While the rally rhetoric may help Trump drum up midterm election support, it hurts the Supreme Court's reputation as an unbiased arbiter of law.

The midterm elections are slated for Tuesday, November 6, 2018.

More from People/donald-trump

Screenshots from Dove's ad featuring transgender women
Dove

'One Million Moms' Calls For Dove Boycott Over Hair Care Ad Featuring Trans Woman

The vehemently transphobic conservative group One Million Moms (OMM)—an arm of the Christian fundamentalist nonprofit American Family Association (AFA)—called for a boycott of Dove products after the company featured a transgender woman in an advertisement for their Damage Therapy Intensive Repair Conditioner.

The ad garnered attention after it was shared by the social media account Libs of TikTok—run by the anti-LGBTQ+ conservative Chaya Raichik—which described the ad as an example of "another woke company trying to erase women."

Keep ReadingShow less
Alyssa Milano; Julian McMahon
Michael Kovac/Elton John AIDS Foundation/Getty Images; Marcus Ingram/The Surfer/Getty Images

Alyssa Milano Shares Poignant Tribute To 'TV Husband' Julian McMahon After His Death At 56

Actor Julian McMahon lost his battle with cancer at the age of 56 earlier this week, and to say that the Charmed, Nip/Tuck, and Fantastic Four actor touched many lives would be an understatement.

When the news of McMahon's passing went public, his Charmed costar and "TV wife" Alyssa Milano came forward and expressed her sadness and condolences on Instagram. The pair were a favorite couple on Charmed, and it was clear from her post that their care for each other extended beyond the screen.

Keep ReadingShow less

People Who Slept With Their Best Friend Describe The Aftermath

When two people have a deep and meaningful friendship, the question might eventually come up of whether or not they could be more. Agreeing that their friendship might deserve more, they might try to date or at least explore physical intimacy.

But crossing that line carries with it consequences, and it's only once the pair crosses that line that they'll find out if crossing it was good or bad.

Keep ReadingShow less
child writing on chalkboard
Leonardo Toshiro Okubo on Unsplash

Bilingual People Explain Which Words They're Surprised Don't Exist In English

According to one report, approximately 3.3 billion people worldwide—43 % of the population—are multilingual, meaning they speak at least two languages. According to the last Census, 21.6% of people in the United States speak more than one language, while in the United Kingdom, the number is 36%.

More multilingual people speak English as a second language than English speakers who have learned another language besides English. Worldwide, people who learned English as a first language rate among the lowest in multilingual rates.

Keep ReadingShow less
Andrew Garfield at the 2025 Glastonbury Festival
Harry Durrant/Getty Images

Andrew Garfield meets fan with wild tweet!

American actor Andrew Garfield had a funny yet awkward reunion with a fan from a viral “Thirst Tweet” featured on Buzzfeed Celeb.

The Thirst Tweet compilation shows celebrities reading a collection of scandalous tweets from fans commenting on their looks, attractiveness, and sex appeal. Blushing stars include James McAvoy, Renee Rapp, Keanu Reeves, Anthony Mackie, and more recently, Brad Pitt and Javier Bardem, as they promote F1 the Movie that was released in theaters last week.

Keep ReadingShow less