Brett Kavanaugh, US President Donald Trump's Supreme Court nominee, has sought to stake out his independence as he faced his first questions during the second day of his contentious Senate confirmation hearing.
"I think the first quality of a good judge in our constitutional system is independence," the conservative federal appeals court judge said on Wednesday in response to a question by the Judiciary Committee's Republican chairman, Chuck Grassley.
"No one is above the law in our constitutional system," Mr Kavanaugh added.
As they did the day before, protesters repeatedly interrupted the session, opposing Mr Kavanaugh's nomination.
The confirmation hearing opened on Tuesday with a chaotic session in which Democrats complained that Republicans withheld documents concerning Mr Kavanaugh's work in former President George W Bush's White House more than a decade ago that they said they needed to review to properly vet the nominee.
Capitol police on Tuesday removed 61 protesters opposed to Mr Kavanaugh from the room and charged them with disorderly conduct.
Mr Trump has often criticised the federal judiciary. Mr Kavanaugh underscored the importance of judicial independence, saying, "That takes some backbone. That takes some judicial fortitude."
In citing examples of judicial independence, Mr Kavanaugh mentioned a 1954 ruling ending racial segregation in public schools and a 1974 ruling ordering President Richard Nixon to hand over subpoenaed materials during the Watergate scandal.
He also said he would respect past Supreme Court rulings.
Democratic senators plan to press Mr Kavanaugh on abortion, gun rights, among other issues.
If confirmed, Mr Kavanaugh is expected to move the court, which already had a conservative majority, further to the right. Senate Democrats have vowed a fierce fight. But with Mr Trump's fellow Republicans holding a slim majority in the Senate, and with no sign of any of them voting against the nomination, it remains likely Mr Kavanaugh will be confirmed to the lifetime job on top US judicial body.
Mr Trump picked Kavanaugh to replace Justice Anthony Kennedy, who announced his retirement on June 27. At age 53, Mr Kavanaugh could serve on the court for decades.
Republicans said Democrats have more than enough documents to assess Mr Kavanaugh's record, including his 12 years of judicial opinions as a judge on the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.
The hearing has given Democrats a platform to make their case against Mr Kavanaugh ahead of November's congressional elections in which they are seeking to regain control of Congress from the Republicans.
Reuters
