URL http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2018-10/07/c_137515933.htm

DATE/ AUTHOR 2018-10-07 00:00:00	AUTHORS: 

H Spotlight: Trump's Supreme Court pick sworn in, partisan fights go on - Xinhua

S1 Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-07 10:35:05|Editor: zh

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S3 WASHINGTON, Oct. 6 (Xinhua) -- Brett Kavanaugh, President Donald Trump's second Supreme Court nominee, was sworn in on Saturday evening, shortly after the Senate passed his contentious confirmation by a vote of 50-48 amid fierce partisan fights focusing on sexual misconduct allegations against him.

S4 COURT MOVES RIGHTWARD

S5 Hailed as a big political victory for Trump and the Republican Party, Kavanaugh's lifetime appointment as the 114th Supreme Court justice appeared to secure a solid majority of conservatives on the U.S. highest court for years.

S6 Nominating Kavanaugh was the second time in two years that Trump has made a Supreme Court pick.
S7 The 53-year-old succeeded 82-year-old Justice Anthony Kennedy, who retired on July 31 after having served as a pivotal swing vote between conservatives and liberals on the nine-member bench for years.

S8 As a result, the court now consists of five conservatives and four liberals.
S9 There will be no swing vote if none of the conservative justices move to the middle.

S10 The court "will perfectly reflect the deep polarization of the American public and political system," Adam Liptak with the New York Times commented.

S11 The rightward trend of the U.S. highest court is expected to have long-term substantial effects on many issues deeply dividing Americans, such as abortion, affirmative action, voting and gun rights.

S12 The Supreme Court decides matters that shape the U.S. politics.
S13 It is both the highest appeals panel and a constitutional court in the country.

S14 PARTISAN FIGHT

S15 Kavanaugh was confirmed by a margin of 50 votes to 48 in the Senate final floor vote, the slimmest for a Supreme Court nominee in more than a century.

S16 Senator Joe Manchin, who was facing tough re-election campaign in red state West Virginia, was the only Democrat to vote for Kavanaugh's confirmation.

S17 Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Saturday that the bitter partisan battle over Kavanaugh's confirmation has revved up Republican voters across red states.

S18 "Our base is on fire," the top Senate Republican said in an interview with The Hill news daily.

S19 However, Democrats also say their voters are now more fired up than ever to deliver a rebuke to the Republicans in the midterm elections, citing women's anger as a force.

S20 During the Senate final voting on Saturday, hundreds of protesters were demonstrating on Capitol Hill, chanting "November is coming" and "We believe survivors."
S21 Capitol Police said later in the day that 164 of them were arrested.

S22 Amid partisan fights over the confirmation, three women came forward last month to accuse Kavanaugh of sexually assaulting or harassing them during his high school and university years.
S23 Kavanaugh has denied all the accusations.

S24 The results on the upcoming midterm elections seem to be complicated.
S25 However, it appears the two mainstream parties in the country would continue fighting each other in a likely more polarized way, analysts say.

