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President 's nominee to the Supreme Court will face senators on the Judiciary Committee on Tuesday for the first day of his confirmation hearings. The hearings will begin with opening statements from Kavanaugh and lawmakers, and are expected to last three to four days.
Trump nominated Kavanaugh, a judge on the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, to replace former Justice , who often served as the court's swing vote. His confirmation by the Senate would likely move the high court to the right and solidify a conservative majority for years to come.
Democrats have vigorously opposed Kavanaugh's nomination and argued for hearings to be postponed, though the party does not have a clear path to blocking his nomination.
The GOP needs only a simple majority to confirm Trump's nominee thanks to a rule change last year, and the Senate's composition narrowly favors them with 50 Republican lawmakers currently serving in the body. Three Democratic senators voted to confirm Trump's last nominee, Justice , to the court. Gorsuch was confirmed by the full senate last April by a vote of 54–45.