“Instead of trying to sort out with reason and care the allegations that were raised, Judge Kavanaugh responded in an intemperate, inflammatory and partial manner,” the letter says of Kavanaugh’s testimony. | Jim Bourg-Pool/Getty Images Kavanaugh Confirmation More than 2,400 law professors urge senators to reject Kavanaugh

More than 650 law professors signed an open letter on Wednesday urging senators to reject Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination, citing “aggressive” and “partisan” testimony to the Senate Judiciary Committee as evidence that he does not have the temperament required to be a Supreme Court justice.

“Instead of trying to sort out with reason and care the allegations that were raised, Judge Kavanaugh responded in an intemperate, inflammatory and partial manner, as he interrupted and, at times, was discourteous to senators,” reads the letter, which appeared on The New York Times’ website and will be presented to senators on Thursday.


The letter concludes: “We have differing views about the other qualifications of Judge Kavanaugh. But we are united, as professors of law and scholars of judicial institutions, in believing that he did not display the impartiality and judicial temperament requisite to sit on the highest court of our land.”

That number jumped to more than 2,400 as of Thursday evening.

Professors from a number of top law schools signed the letter, including more than a dozen from Harvard, where Kavanaugh previously taught for a decade . There are also roughly a dozen signers from Yale Law School, Kavanaugh’s alma mater. The Times promises to add more signatures as they are submitted.

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During his testimony to the Senate Judiciary Committee on Sept. 27, Kavanaugh said accusations of sexual assault and misconduct against him amounted to a “political hit job,” and he lambasted Senate Democrats for their role in the process. He also mused that the allegations were brought up because of “revenge on behalf of the Clintons.”

“And as we all know, in the United States political system of the early 2000s, what goes around comes around,” Kavanaugh said during his 45-minute opening statement.

Kavanaugh worked with independent counsel Ken Starr on the investigation that led to President Bill Clinton‘s impeachment, including drafting explicit questions about a sexual relationship.

The letter comes as senators are reportedly going to be able to read about the FBI’s supplemental investigation into the allegations against Kavanaugh early Thursday morning. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has chastised Senate Democrats for delaying the final vote on Kavanaugh’s confirmation and has vowed to begin procedural votes this week, with a final vote potentially coming over the weekend.