总统权限问题将是大法官确认听证会关键

President Donald Trump’s Supreme Court nominee, federal judge Brett Kavanaugh, can expect tough questions on a range of issues when he faces a Senate confirmation hearing sometime in the next few months.

Democrats are likely to pepper Kavanaugh with questions about his stance on abortion, gay rights and affirmative action. But another key area of interest is Kavanaugh’s expansive view of presidential power, something Democrats want to press him on with Trump in the White House.

When he was nominated at the White House earlier this month, Kavanaugh pledged to bring an independent mindset to the high court.

Democrats have vowed to fight Kavanaugh’s nomination from the start, fearing his appointment could ensure a strongly conservative court for a generation. Several have also expressed concern about his views on executive power.

Kavanaugh worked in the White House of President George W. Bush. Kavanaugh wrote an article in 2009, in which he said that presidents “should be excused from the burdens of ordinary citizenship while serving in office.”

民主党参议员很可能要问卡瓦诺法官在堕胎、同性恋权利以及平权行动等方面的立场。另一个民主党人感兴趣并要逼问卡瓦诺的问题是他对总统权限有什么看法，尤其是在川普总统执掌白宫的情况下。

卡瓦诺7月早些时候被白宫提名的时候保证将带着独立思维进入最高法院。

民主党人一开始就誓言要阻止卡瓦诺的提名获得通过。他们担心卡瓦诺会让在一代人的时期内让最高法院趋向保守。一些民主党人对卡瓦诺有关行政当局权限的立场感到担心。

卡瓦诺曾经在小布什总统时期在白宫工作过，并在2009年写过一篇文章，认为“总统执政期间不应被要求承担像普通公民一样的法律责任”，不应受到民事诉讼和刑事诉讼的干扰。