Kavanaugh. We expect to see the president and as well, judge, and Circuit Court of appeals, often called the farm team for the Supreme Court. There are a lot of people that thought maybe this was too much of an establishment choice, maybe he should have gone with a b tony barrett but the intelligence that ive been getting it is that Amy Coney Barrett may have been a difficultou confirmation this year. If another justices shuts down, they would likely be the next choice. We are only ten seconds away, the president of the United States making his big announcement. Ap reporting and fact that it is a judge kavanaugh, which have been rumored most of last week. Again, i would confirm. There is the president now headed to p the podium and whats history in the making, this now his Second Supreme Court nomine nominee. Here is the president. My [applause] President Trump my fellow americans, tonight i speak to you from the east room of the white house regarding one of the most profound responsibilities of the president of the United States. And that is, the selection of a Supreme Court justice. I have often heard that other than matters of war and peace, this is the most important decision a president will make. A Supreme Court is entrusted with the safeguarding of the crown jewel of our republic, the constitution of the United States. 12 days ago, just as Anthony Kennedy informed me of his decision to take senior status on the Supreme Court, opening a new vacancy. For more than four decades, Justice Kennedy served our nation with incredible passion and devotion. I would like to thank Justice Kennedy for a lifetime of distinguished service. [applause] in a few moments i will announce my selection for Justice Kennedys replacement. This is the second time i have been faced with this task. Last year i nominated judge neil gorsuch to replace the late, great, justice antonin scalia. [applause] i chose Justice Gorsuch because i believed that he would be a faithful service of our constitution. We are honored to be joined tonight by justice antonin scalias lovely wife, maureen. [applause] both Justice Kennedy and Justice Scalia were appointed by a president who understood that the best defense of our liberty and the judicial branch, immune from political prejudice, were judges that apply the constitution as written. That president happen to be ronald reagan. For this evenings announcement, we are joined by Ronald Reagans attorney general, edwin meese. Ed . [applause] and i speak for everyone, thank you for everything you have done to protect our nations great legal heritage. In keeping with president reagans legacy, i do not ask about a nominees personal opinions, what matters is not a judges political views but whether they can set aside those views to do what the law and the constitution require. I am pleased to say that i have found without doubt such a person. Tonight it is my honor and privilege to announce that i will nominate judge Brett Kavanaugh to the United StatesSupreme Court. [applause] President Trump i know the people in this room very well, they do not stand and give applause like that very often ss they have some respect. And bretts wife ashley, and their two daughters, margaret and liza have joined us on the podium. Thank you and congratulations to you as a family. [applause] judge kavanaugh has impeccable credentials, unsurpassed qualifications and a proven commitment to equal justice under the law. A graduate of yale college and yale law school, judge kavanaugh harvard, yale and georgetown. Throughout legal circles hes considered a judge is a judge truth thought leader among his peers. Hes a brilliant terrace with a clear and effective writing style universally regarded as one of the finest and sharpest legal minds of our time. And it just like Justice Gorsuch, he excels as a clerk for justiceju kennedy. Thats right, thank you. [applause] judge kavanaugh has devoted his life to public service. For the last 12 years he has served as a judge on the d. C. Circuit court of appeals with great distinction, authoring over 300 opinions which have been widely admired for their skill, insight and rigorous adherence to the law. Among those opinions are more than a dozen that the Supreme Court has adopted as the law of the land. Beyond his great renowned as a judge he is active in his community. He coaches cyo basketball, serves meals to the families, and, having learned from his mom who who is a schoolteacher in d. C. Tutors children at local elementary schools. There is no one in america more qualified for this position and no one more deserving. I want to thank the senators on both sides of the aisle. Republican and democrat for their consultation and advice during the Selection Process. This incredibly qualified nominee deserves a swift confirmation and robust bipartisan support. Thend rule of law is our nations proud heritage. It is the cornerstone of our freedom. Ee it is what guarantees equal justice, and the senate now hast the chance to protect this glorious heritage by sending judge Brett Kavanaugh to the United StatesSupreme Court. And now, judge, the podium is yours. [applause] t judge kavanaugh mr. President , thank you. Throughout this process i have witnessed firsthand your appreciation for the vital role of the american judiciary. No president has consulted more widely or talked to more people from more backgrounds to seek input about a Supreme Court nomination. Mr. President , i am grateful to you and i am humbled by your confidence in me. 30 years ago, president reagan nominated Anthony Kennedy to the Supreme Court. The framers established that the constitution is designed to secure the blessings of liberty. Justice kennedy devoted his career to securing liberty. Im deeply honored to be nominated to fill his seat on the Supreme Court. [applause] my mom and dad are here. I am their only child. When people ask what its like to be an only child, i say, it depends on who your parents are. [laughter] i was lucky. My mom was a teacher and in the 1960s and 70s she taught history at two largely africanamerican public high schools in washington, d. C. Mckinley tech and hd woodson. T for example taught me the importance of equality for all americans. My mom was a trailblazer. When i was ten, she went to law school and became a prosecutor. My introduction to law came at our dinner table when she practiced her closing arguments. Her trademark line was, use your common sense. What rings true, what rings false . Thats good advice for a tour,th and for a son. One of the few women prosecutors at that time, she overcame barriers and became a trial judge. Rs the president introduced me tonight as judge kavanaugh, but to me, that title will always belong to my mom. My dad went to law school at night while working fulltime. He has an unparalleled work ethic and has passed down to me his passion for playing, and watching, sports. I love him dearly. The motto of my Jesuit High School was, men for others. I try to live that creed. I spent my time in the white house to the u. S. Court of appeals for the d. C. Circuit. I have served with 17 other judges, each of them a colleague and a friend. My judicial philosophy is straightforward. A judge must be independent and must interpret the law, not make the law. A judge must interpret statutes as written, and a judge must interpret the constitution as written. J informed by history and tradition and precedent. For the past 11 years, i have taught hundreds of students, primarily at Harvard Law School. I teach that the constitutions separation of powers protects individual liberty. And i remain grateful to the dean who hired me, Justice Elena kagan. As a judge, i hire for law clerks each year. I look for the best. My law clerks from diverse backgrounds. I am proud that a majority of my law clerks have been women. I am part of the vibrant Catholic Community in the d. C. Area. The members of that community disagree about things but we are united by a commitment to serve. Father john ensler is here, infa 40 years ago i was an altar boy for father john. These days i help him serve meals to the homeless at catholic charities. I have two spirited daughters, margaret and liza. Margaret loves sports, and she loves to read. D. Liza loves sports, and she loves to talk. [laughter] i have tried to create bonds with my daughters like my dad created with me. For the past seven years, i have coached my daughters basketball teams. The girls on the team call mehe coach k. [laughter] i am proud of our blessed sacrament team that just won the city championship. [applause] my daughters and i also go to lots of games. Our favorite memory was going to the historic notre dameuconn Womens Basketball game at this years final four unforgettable. My wife is actually a west texan, graduate of abilenell Cooper Public High School and the university of texas. She is now the town manager of our community. We met in 2001 when we both worked in the white house. Our first date was on september 10th 2001. The next morning i was a few steps behind her as the secret service shouted out allhe of us to a sprint out the front gates of the white house, because there was an inbound plane. In the difficult weeks that followed, ashley was a source of strength for president bush, and for everyone in this building. Through bad days and so many better days since then, she has been a great wife and inspiring mom. I think god every day for my family. [applause] tomorrow i began meeting with members of the senate which plays an essential role in this process. I will tell each senator that i revere the constitution. I believe that an independent judiciary is the crown jewel of our constitutional republic. If confirmed by the senate, i will keep an open mind in every case. And i will always strive to preserve the constitution of the United States and of the american rule of law. Thank you, mr. President. [applause] sean there you see that President Trump has nominated Brett Kavanaugh now to the highest court in the land. We have lots of news,ed information and background on him that we will give you all throughout the hour. My opening monologue will be coming up in minutes, jay sekulow, greg. And first we will go outside of the Supreme Court where our own fox news at night anchor, shannon bream, she knows the Supreme Court well and has covered it for years. Fo its a raucous night out here, we have folks on all sides of every issue out here jostling, demonstrating and chanting and not reacting to the pick that we have come judge Brett Kavanaugh. He was a clerk for Justice Kennedy, a coclerk for the man that is now the new justice, neil course at, so they will serve on the bench together. Hes been on the federal bench for 12 years or so because now there will be a very long record for people to go through. Sifting through his opinions, decisions and he has weighed in on a number of tough issues. One area to watch for a possible republican opinion, bulk metadata does not violate the fourth amendment. Thats something that rand paul expresses concern about. He has to win the 50 votes and make the rounds. This is a guy who has run the Boston Marathon twice and so he actually knows about running the gauntlet. And the endurance hes going to need getting through this because there are plenty of objections from the left from folks who said from the beginning they would object to anyone this president nominated. So now we have the name and he begins the gauntlet tomorrow. He has the tractor is on the left and right, he has plenty of supporters. Hes been vetted by the federal society and they say they are confident in his conservative credentials. So we will see, as he goes through the process. Sean shannon bream, thank you. Joining us now is fox news correspondent it was in the room for the announcement. Youve kind of been hinting all day because ive been watching your coverage, john roberts. We are all getting some wind that that is what was going to happen. John, what is the big announcement . I have a lot of context, and especially an Administrative Law at george mason law, and he actually said actually almost said the very same thing in the speech on original assembly, separation of powers, on fidelity to the constitution. I will read that later in the show. Whats the first reaction . John obviously by the people in the room here, its a reaction of welcoming judge Brett Kavanaugh to the nomination process. I think there were a lot of people that thought he was the perfect person for the job, one of the most powerful Circuit Courts of appeal in the United States and the d. C. Court of appeals. John roberts as well as antonin scalia, judge Clarence Thomas, warren burger, so many Supreme Court justices come from the d. C. Circuit. A lot of people thought, maybe it wont be Brett Kavanaugh because he is an alumnus of the george w. Bush white house, and of course the bush family on the trumps dont particularly get along. But george w. Bush sent a note out tonight on the nomination to the Supreme Court saying, President Trump has made an outstanding decision in nominating judge Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court. He is a brilliant juristic that has faithfully applied the constitution it and it laws to his 12 years of the d. C. Ia circuit. Ed hes a fine husband, father and friend and a man of the highest integrity who will make a a superb justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. He has an interesting story that the president really likes, and his daughters call him coach k. And now they are are on to the confirmation process and you know that will be a bruising one. Sean good point, a very predictable. I dont think it matters who in fact the president picked. John roberts, thank you. Joining us here on set, chief National Correspondent usually in the white house but hes filling in the 8 00 hour. I was trying to give you a big lead in. What he said about revering the constitution, about separation of powers. Im actually going to read from a speech that he gave that to me, it shows his judicial philosophy. At the end of the day this comes down to original as him and constitutionalism. The president said, the constitution as written, judge kavanaugh has said the same thing many times. Whats interesting here is very different than what the left wants. And she now picked her Supreme Court nominee. It would be a very different philosophy. This president was transparent and honest in 2016 about saying, i want originalists who want a strict interpretation on the high court. T he named them, scalia and thomas, and by the way put ate packet together with 25 names and said, these are the people k will nominate. So there was no mystery. It was transparent and direct. He was on the list. The dnc just put out a statement, judge kavanaugh should not be allowed anywhere near our nations highest bench. But they would have been opposed to anybody. There is no one he would have selected. By the way im convinced that if the president gave everyone 5 million, the left would still oppose him. Ed this is going to be a fascinating time. It basically dick durbin said to every red state democrat, claire mccaskill, joe manchin, heidi heitkamp, bill nelson, all these people. We want you to commit political suicide. Its more important to stop the president s court Court Nominee than worry about the midterm election. Tell that to joe mansion, in west virginia. Donald trump. That state by 41 points. A couple quick points. The left will oppose this nomination and come out hard to come up they already are. I know father ensler who was mentioned, that judge kavanaugh mentioned. Hes someone with a beautiful family and he works with father to feed the homeless. By the way he noted that he wasm hired to teach at Harvard Law School by elena kagan who is one of the most liberal Supreme Court justices weve ever seen. Strong catholic faith, hes feeding the homeless, hired by elena kagan, a liberal justice to teach at harvard law. Number two, this president likes people, nominee is out of cast. He said to get me mad dog mattis. He didnt like tillers and at first, get me mike pompeo. Hes my vision of the secretary of state. He teaches at harvard, yale and georgetown,