President Trump nominates Brett Kavanaugh for Supreme Court

On Monday evening, July 9, President Donald Trump announced Brett Kavanaugh as his Supreme Court pick to replace retiring Justice Anthony Kennedy. Kavanaugh is currently a U.S. Circuit Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia and has a track record of conservative rulings favoring deregulation. Scott Yager, chief environmental counsel for the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA), praised the move, anticipating Kavanaugh’s confirmation being a boon in the continuing Waters of the U.S. (WOTUS) issue. “Replacing Justice Kennedy with a solidly conservative fifth vote will change the highest court in the land for many years to come and clears the path for a narrower WOTUS definition, as supported by the Trump administration and NCBA, to be upheld by the Supreme Court,” Yager wrote. — WLJ