Amid the uncorroborated allegations circus, the American Bar Association caused a stir by re-opening its review process of then-Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. But upon his confirmation, the ABA says, their review officially closed, meaning the newly sworn-in Justice Brett Kavanaugh maintains his “well qualified” rating.
An ABA official told CNN Monday that the association will no longer review its previous “well qualified” rating of Justice Kavanaugh since the Senate confirmed him in a bipartisan vote of 50-48. “The official, who declined to speak on the record, cited an ABA policy of ending its rating process once a nominee is confirmed,” CNN reports.
CNN cites the ABA’s website that explains succinctly, “Per the published policy and historical practice of the Standing Committee on the Federal Judiciary, once a justice or judge is confirmed, the Standing Committee’s rating process is closed.”
The Daily Caller’s Supreme Court reporter Kevin Daily notes that while the Standing Committee’s evaluations are “separate and distinct” from the ABA, the association asked the Senate Judiciary Committee to postpone Kavanaugh’s nomination until completion of an FBI investigation, which wrapped up Thursday October 4. He was confirmed two days later.
Meanwhile, Daily reports, the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals is leading its own inquiry into over a dozen complaints to the court over Kavanaugh allegedly failing to maintain proper judicial temperament and providing false testimony to the judiciary committee, though any findings are unlikely to have any consequences for Kavanaugh.
Related: WATCH: Morning Joe: Democrats’ Treatment Of Kavanaugh Is Turning Out To Be A ‘Disaster’ For Them