July 30, 2018

Manchin Meets With Supreme Court Nominee Brett Kavanaugh

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) released the following statement on his meeting today with Supreme Court nominee, Judge Brett Kavanaugh.

“Today, Judge Kavanaugh and I had a productive meeting and talked about his experience, record and a variety of issues that will impact West Virginians, including his views on healthcare. The Supreme Court may ultimately decide the fate of pre-existing conditions protections for nearly 800,000 West Virginians and will personally impact everyone who knows somebody with a pre-existing condition. Right now, there is a pending lawsuit in federal court brought by 20 state Attorneys General, including the Attorney General of West Virginia, which would allow insurance companies to once again deny coverage to West Virginians with pre-existing conditions.

“As the Senator from West Virginia, I have a constitutional responsibility to advise and consent on a nominee to fill Supreme Court vacancies and I take that responsibility seriously. I think it’s irresponsible to announce your position minutes after the nominee is announced. I will not make a final decision on Judge Kavanaugh’s nomination until I complete a thorough and fair examination of his candidacy in order to decide whether he should hold the position of Associate Justice on the highest court in the land, just as I did with Neil Gorsuch.

“First and foremost on my mind are the concerns of West Virginians. Over the last two weeks, West Virginians have contacted me more than 8,000 with their opinions on Judge Kavanaugh and the questions they have for him. I want to thank everyone who gave me input, including Robin from Greenville, Jennie from Charleston, Valeria from Lewisburg, Lauren from Morgantown, Larry James from Parkersburg, Barbara from Martinsburg, Brandon from Parkersburg, Krista from Harpers Ferry and Dakota from Baisden, whose questions I addressed with Judge Kavanaugh today.”

Last week, Senator Manchin hosted a roundtable discussion in Charleston and discussed Judge Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination to the Supreme Court with West Virginians. He is also encouraging West Virginians to send their questions and express their concerns through his website or by emailing SCOTUS@manchin.senate.gov.  

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