Analysis: It looks like Susan Collins bet wrong on Brett Kavanaugh and Roe v. Wade
“I had a very long discussion with Justice Gorsuch in my office and he pointed out to me that he is a co-author of a whole book on precedent,” Collins said at the time.
“If this leaked draft opinion is the final decision and this reporting is accurate, it would be completely inconsistent with what Justice Gorsuch and Justice Kavanaugh said in their hearings and in our meetings in my office,” she said. “Obviously, we won’t know each Justice’s decision and reasoning until the Supreme Court officially announces its opinion in this case.”
Asked by CNN if she was misled by Kavanaugh, Collins said: “My statement speaks for itself.”
Collins is technically right that “we won’t know each Justice’s decision and reasoning.” But a bit of simple math suggests that how the votes might play out.
Which means that the other five conservative-leaning justices (Alito, Kavanaugh, Gorsuch, Amy Coney Barrett and Clarence Thomas) would likely have to be on the side of overturning Roe.
Collins may well be the only person shocked that Kavanaugh (and Gorsuch) look to be on the side of overturning Roe. She was widely derided for her blind trust in Kavanaugh’s word in particular during the contentious confirmation process — and for her willingness to confirm his lifetime appointment to the court.
Quoted from Various Sources
Published for: Ipodifier