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Supreme Court Brett Kavanaugh likes conservative, and some liberal, justices and judges

WASHINGTON – You can tell a lot about a guy by the friends he keeps. Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh favors some of the court's most conservative justices, but he has liberal pals as well:

On former Chief Justice William Rehnquist:

"In case after case after case during law school, I noticed something. After I read the assigned reading, I would constantly make notes to myself — 'agree with Rehnquist majority opinion.' 'Agree with Rehnquist dissent.' 'Agree with Rehnquist analysis.' 'Rehnquist makes a good point here.' 'Rehnquist destroys the majority’s reasoning here.'

"At that time, in 1987, Rehnquist had been on the court for 15 years, almost all of it as an associate justice. And his opinions made a lot of sense to me. In class after class, I stood with Rehnquist. That often meant in the Yale Law School environment of the time that I stood alone. Some things don’t change."

On current Chief Justice John Roberts:

"Chief Justice Roberts has famously articulated the vision of the judge as umpire, which captures the same basic point in a catchy sports metaphor. I believe very deeply in those visions of the rule of law as a law of rules, and of the judge as umpire. By that, I mean a neutral, impartial judiciary that decides cases based on settled principles without regard to policy preferences or political allegiances or which party is on which side in a particular case."

On the late Justice Antonin Scalia:

"Justice Scalia was and remains a judicial hero and role model to many throughout America. He thought carefully about his principles, he articulated those principles, and he stood up for those principles. As a judge, he did not buckle to political or academic pressure from the right or the left. He was fiercely independent."

On federal appeals court Chief Judge Merrick Garland, who was blocked by Republicans from succeeding Scalia:

"Chief Judge Garland is a brilliant jurist.... He's thoughtful, he's considerate, he's collegial, he works well with others. He's a good man – great integrity. And he is supremely qualified by the objective characteristics of experience, temperament, writing ability, scholarly ability, for the Supreme Court."

"I have nothing but the greatest respect for him...He's been a role model to me."

On Justice Neil Gorsuch, who ultimately succeeded Scalia:

"He is kind, funny, hard-working and brilliant. He’s a great writer and independent. With his smarts, his character, and his understanding of life and law, I firmly believe he will be one of the great justices in Supreme Court history."

On Justice Anthony Kennedy, whose seat Kavanaugh would fill if confirmed:

"The framers established that the Constitution is designed to secure the blessings of liberty. Justice Kennedy devoted his career to securing liberty."

“When Justice Kennedy says something, I listen – me and 320 million other Americans.”