After Trump’s nomination of Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the United States Supreme Court, a group of students and alums at Yale Law School wrote an open letter claiming “people will die” if Kavanaugh is confirmed.

Now, a second letter has been launched by people at Yale in support of Kavanaugh.

Teghan Simonton reports at the Chronicle of Higher Education:

… another group of students and alumni of Yale Law released a competing letter — defending the school’s language in the news release and expressing support for Kavanaugh’s nomination. “We are proud of Judge Kavanaugh’s nomination, and believe that his accomplishments and qualifications speak for themselves,” it says. “We admire the Yale Law faculty who have spoken in support of Judge Kavanaugh’s qualifications and commitment to the Constitution.” This letter goes on to quote the professors and alumni in the original news release, and contains the signatures of more than 100 professors, alumni, and current students at Yale Law. The list of signatories continued to grow on Thursday. In a statement, the school said its news release was nothing out of the ordinary: “Yale Law School is a nonpartisan institution. We routinely acknowledge high-profile nominations of our alumni. We did exactly the same thing not so long ago when Justice Sonia Sotomayor ‘79 received her nomination to the High Court.”

Here’s an excerpt from the supportive letter:

Letter from Yale Students, Alumni, and Faculty in Support of Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh We write as students, alumni, and faculty proud of our alma mater. We join Yale Law School in its praise of distinguished Yale alumnus Judge Brett Kavanaugh. Judge Kavanaugh is eminently qualified to serve as a Supreme Court justice. Judge Kavanaugh, a graduate of Yale College and Yale Law School, is one of our nation’s most distinguished jurists. In his twelve years of service on the United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, he has demonstrated a principled approach to interpreting the law. He has reached legal conclusions free of political partisanship. Judge Kavanaugh has devoted his professional life to upholding the rule of law and our Constitution. Throughout his time on the federal bench, Judge Kavanaugh has been a valuable friend to the Yale community, visiting frequently to speak on important topics and to encourage admitted students to begin their legal careers in New Haven. More importantly, Judge Kavanaugh has been a faithful servant to his community in the Washington D.C. area. He is a basketball coach for his daughters’ teams, and a regular volunteer with Catholic Charities. As the many students he has mentored will attest, he is a person of deep conviction and integrity.

The letter includes a few testimonials from legal scholars:

“He is a terrific judge. In my federal criminal law class, I love teaching his opinions because they are smart, thoughtful, and clear. He’s also been a wonderful mentor and teacher to our students—not just to those who clerk for him, but those who meet with him during one of his many visits to Yale Law School.”

—Kate Stith, Lafayette S. Foster Professor of Law “Brett Kavanaugh has been one of the most learned judges in America on a variety of issues, ranging from theories of statutory interpretation to separation of powers.” “We are proud that he is our graduate and eager to continue to learn from his judicial opinions and scholarly publications.”

—William N. Eskridge, Jr., YLS ‘78, John A. Garver Professor of Jurisprudence

The left is going to lose this battle.



