Members of Congress are digging through the record of Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh, who President Donald Trump nominated to the Supreme Court Monday night. Kavanaugh has spoken about his approach to cases dealing with abortion rights and privacy from government surveillance, issues that will likely come up during election-year confirmation hearings that promise to be contentious as Congress weighs confirming a judge who could tip the high court to the right for a generation. [The Hill]
Happy Tuesday.
Topping the news: The man who was once Utah’s top federal prosecutor is now working to change the system he once was a part of. Brett Tolman used to boast about his ability to prosecute business executives with crimes. He’s now working on bail reform, rules changes in the courtroom and abolishing the death penalty. [Trib]
-> Democrat Doug Owens, who lost twice in races with Rep. Mia Love, joined his former opponent in establishing the group Utah Outdoor Partners, a business coalition aimed at getting politics out of discussions about public lands. [Trib] [DNews] [ABC4]
-> Vicky Chavez, a Honduran mother who has been living at the First Unitarian Church of Salt Lake City for nearly six months, will continue to stay there after an immigration court denied her appeal to have her asylum case reconsidered. [Trib] [Fox13] [KUTV] [DNews] [KSL] [KUER] [ABC4]
Tweets of the day: From @timmathews: "I only know two things about Brett Kavanaugh. 1) a bunch of people who never heard of him until last week think he’s great 2) a bunch of people who never heard of him until last week think he’s terrible”
-> From @RobertGehrke: "I’m a little disappointed with not being chosen to be on the Supreme Court. But I’m pleased to announce I’ve signed a 4-year, $37 million contract with the Los Angeles Lakers.”
-> From @MEPFuller: "Can’t believe they didn’t go with Trump’s traditional exit music ‘You Can’t Always Get What You Want’ for the end of this press conference.“
Happy Birthday: To The Tribune’s Lee Davidson and former state Sen. Dan Liljenquist.
In other news: -> Utah Sens. Orrin Hatch and Mike Lee both praised President Donald Trump’s nominee to the Supreme Court, Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh, with Hatch called him an “outstanding choice.” [Trib] [DNews] [Fox13]
-> A truck hauling waste from the inactive Gold King mine in Colorado, which caused a massive spill three years ago that polluted rivers in Utah, Colorado and New Mexico, crashed and spilled waste sludge into a creek on Monday. [APviaTrib]
-> The Utah Highway Patrol say the body of a man who was likely a hit and run victim may have been on the side of Interstate 215 for three weeks before it was discovered by a construction worker. [APviaTrib]
-> Pat Bagley shows what can happen when the impacts of climate change are ignored. [Trib]
-> Robert Gehrke says that Rep. Mia Love’s talk on public lands smells like an election-year pivot. [Trib]
Nationally: President Donald Trump nominated Judge Brett Kavanaugh to replace retiring Supreme Court justice Anthony Kennedy, describing him as “one of the finest and sharpest legal minds in our time.” [NYTimes] [WaPost] [Politico]
-> Kavanaugh’s nomination reflects a three-decade push by Republicans to establish a reliable conservative majority on the Supreme Court, with effects that could influence the direction of the law for decades. [NYTimes]
-> With Trump’s NATO summit meeting beginning on Wednesday, just days before his planned meeting with Russian president Vladimir Putin, he is entering the summit as a wild card. [NYTimes] [WaPost] [Politico]
-> All 12 boys and their soccer coach have been rescued from a flooded cave in Thailand after being trapped for more than two weeks after a successful rescue mission removed the five remaining people who are still trapped. [NYTimes]
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-- Connor Richards and Taylor W. Anderson.
Follow @sltribpolitics