Following Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s dissent in the June Medical case yesterday, in which he argued that the Supreme Court should ignore the four year old precedent set by the Whole Woman’s Health case, Senator Susan Collins is facing intense scrutiny for her false claims that Kavanaugh would respect precedent with regard to abortion rights and her continued defense of voting to confirm him to the Supreme Court even after he’s repeatedly ruled against reproductive rights.
Senator Collins has confirmed at least 32 of President Trump’s right-wing federal court nominees who have records of hostility toward Roe v. Wade. It’s no wonder that this year, she’s lost the support of pro-choice groups like Planned Parenthood and NARAL who have said she can no longer be trusted to safeguard reproductive freedom.
See what they’re saying about what Kavanaugh’s anti-choice dissent means for Senator Collins:
New York Times: Abortion Rises as a Pivotal Issue for At-Risk Senate Republicans
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When Ms. Collins, a Maine Republican, cast a decisive vote to confirm Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court in 2018, she did so on the premise that he would uphold precedent to preserve abortion rights.
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But on Monday, Justice Kavanaugh dissented from a decision that did that, arguing that the court should have ruled differently than it did in a nearly identical case four years ago.
HuffPost: Sen. Susan Collins Gives Brett Kavanaugh A Pass For Opposing Abortion Rights Ruling
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Collins’ vote was pivotal to Kavanaugh’s confirmation in 2018. The senator has repeatedly said she believed the judge would respect legal precedent and not overturn Roe. She has been more ambivalent about cases like June Medical Services, however, which concern state laws limiting access to abortion.
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Collins similarly defended Kavanaugh for voting to let stand Louisiana’s abortion law during an initial challenge in 2019, saying, “I don’t understand how this is being viewed as somehow overturning Roe v. Wade except by people on the far left who are looking for anything.”
Portland Press Herald: Our View: With abortion ruling, Roberts tries to salvage Supreme Court’s reputation
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And the chief justice’s argument about stare decisis did not persuade the two newest members of the court, Justices Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh, who told senators during their confirmation hearings that they were not interested in overturning already-decided cases.
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In both confirmations, Maine Sen. Susan Collins said she based her support in part on these assurances. But neither Gorsuch nor Kavanaugh expressed any concern about overturning a precedent, even one that involves a state law that was written expressly to give the Supreme Court a do-over on a case it had just decided a few months before the last presidential election.
Maine Public: Collins Under Fire After Kavanaugh Dissents In Ruling Striking Down Louisiana Abortion Restrictions
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Republican U.S. Sen. Susan Collins of Maine is under renewed political scrutiny Monday for supporting the confirmation of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, in the wake of the Court’s divided decision that struck down a Louisiana law restricting abortion.
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The law required abortion providers to obtain hospital admitting privileges, but critics, including national abortion rights groups, say it was designed to shut down clinics. They say voters should hold Collins accountable this November for supporting Kavanaugh, who dissented from the majority in the case.
Bangor Daily News: Susan Collins’ vote to confirm Kavanaugh back in spotlight after dissent in abortion case
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A dissenting Monday argument from U.S. Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh in a Louisiana abortion-rights case brought Sen. Susan Collins’ 2018 vote to confirm him back to the forefront of the Republican’s upcoming re-election race.
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In a terse two-page dissent, Kavanaugh concurred with an opinion from Justice Samuel Alito that rejected some precedent from the 2016 case while saying he thought more fact-finding and another trial were needed.
Beacon: Contradicting Collins’ assurances, Kavanaugh casts vote against abortion rights
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Many abortion providers and advocates in Maine said that Collins’ support for Kavanaugh, as well as Gorsuch, may become a key consideration for voters in November.
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In a speech given on the Senate floor in October 2018 before casting the crucial vote for Kavanaugh’s confirmation, Collins said that he had assured her that the right to an abortion enshrined in Roe v. Wade was “precedent on precedent.”
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“Today, the Supreme Court came within one vote of decimating access to safe, legal abortion — no thanks to Senator Collins,” said Amy Cookson, spokesperson for Planned Parenthood Votes in Maine.
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Collins’ vote to confirm Kavanaugh was crucial to him becoming a Supreme Court justice in 2018, which she made after a highly contentious confirmation process. During that process, Kavanaugh was repeatedly asked about how he would decide in abortion cases, and the Maine senator said she did not believe he would vote to overturn Roe v. Wade.
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His most recent vote, although in the minority, indicates he’s less receptive to abortion access and upholding judicial precedent than he implied in his testimony.
The American Independent: Susan Collins said Kavanaugh would respect abortion precedent. She was wrong.
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Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh voted against abortion rights precedent the court had set just four years earlier — breaking a promise Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) said he had made in order to gain her confirmation vote.
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During the confirmation process, Collins said she decided to vote in favor of Kavanaugh because he told her he believed "the concept of precedent is rooted in Article III of the Constitution" — and she said that meant he wouldn't vote to overturn abortion rights.
Maine’s US Senate primary will be held on July 14th. You can read about all three Democratic candidates here.
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