After the United States Senate voted on Saturday afternoon to elevate Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court, reactions poured in from Alabama officials celebrating the successful confirmation effort and Senator Richard Shelby’s “yes” vote.
Rep. Bradley Byrne (AL-1), who has been a steadfast, vocal supporter of Kavanaugh, also emphasized the importance of the final vote.
“Our nation is better off with Judge Kavanaugh on the Supreme Court, and I am glad the circus is over. I applaud the senators who supported Judge Kavanaugh, including Alabama Senator Richard Shelby,” Byrne said in a press release.
You can read Shelby’s reaction to the vote here.
Byrne added, “This process and the shameful tactics used have been an embarrassment to our nation, but I hope we can now move forward as a country and not return to these pathetic political games again.”
Rep. Martha Roby (AL-2) also chimed in with her praise on social media.
“Judge Brett Kavanaugh is a conservative, experienced jurist who I believe will be a strict constitutionalist on the Supreme Court. I am pleased that the United States Senate voted to confirm him, and I am confident he will serve the Court and the American people admirably,” Roby tweeted.
Justice Kavanaugh has a nice ring to it! Thank you @SenShelby!#alpolitics https://t.co/FiSTPG72tT
— Twinkle Cavanaugh (@TwinkleforAL) October 6, 2018
Alabama Republican Party chair Terry Lathan, in a statement, said, “The Alabama Republican Party congratulates Judge Brett Kavanaugh on his confirmation. Judge Kavanaugh has our full support as he begins his honorable journey serving the American people on our nation’s highest court.”
“In celebrating this confirmation, we thank Senator Shelby and his Republican colleagues for their yes votes. Unlike Senator Jones, Senator Shelby exemplified what it means to be a true public servant by representing the majority of Alabamians when he cast his final vote,” Lathan continued.
The ALGOP chair ripped into Jones, whom she has referred to as “One and Done Doug” in reference to his possible reelection bid in 2020.
“Without meeting with Judge Kavanaugh, Doug Jones even went so far as to insinuate his opinion mattered more than those of the people he was elected to serve,” Lathan outlined. “During a Friday morning CNN interview, Senator Jones said while it may be true that Alabama is for Judge Kavanaugh, it’s not the ‘be all to end all.’ His arrogance is reprehensible as he has now officially told our citizens he knows best. It is clear that Senator Doug Jones’ allegiance lies not to his Alabama constituents, but strongly to the Democrat Party. Voters will remember this when they head to the polls in 2020.”
The 2020 election will not be the only one impacted by the Kavanaugh confirmation.
“For now, we can thank President Trump and our GOP team by voting Republican this November,” Lathan added.
Congratulations!!!! pic.twitter.com/8UWsGB2SR5
— Will Ainsworth (@willainsworthAL) October 6, 2018
Friday, after it became clear that Kavanaugh had the necessary votes to be confirmed, Rep. Robert Aderholt (AL-4) tweeted his thoughts.
“I am pleased to see that it looks as if Judge Kavanaugh will be confirmed to the Supreme Court. He has served as a federal judge for more than a decade with honor and I believe he will bring that same integrity to our nation’s highest court,” Aderholt said.
Rep. Gary Palmer (AL-6) also reaffirmed his support of Kavanaugh earlier in the week, and Rep. Mo Brooks (AL-5) announced his approval of the new Associate Justice when he was nominated on July 9, as did Rep. Mike Rogers (AL-3).
Sean Ross is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @sean_yhn
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