9th Circuit nominee tells Sen. Ted Cruz it was just ‘rhetorical advocacy’ when she called Brett Kavanaugh ‘morally bankrupt’

Sen. Ted Cruz asks Biden 9th Circuit nominee Jennifer Sung if she believes Justice Brett Kavanaugh is “intellectually and morally bankrupt.”

Sung: It was “rhetorical advocacy.”

Cruz: “It is disappointing that you refuse to answer that question, it’s a simple yes, no question." pic.twitter.com/HYrYDWiLOM

— Steve Guest (@SteveGuest) September 14, 2021

Background: In July 2018, Sung signed a letter calling calling Kavanaugh an "intellectually and morally bankrupt ideologue." https://t.co/pvFZSkoe2u

— Steve Guest (@SteveGuest) September 14, 2021

I am not sure that having an appellate judge willing to sign statements for the sake of “rhetorical advocacy” is a good idea. Some folks take the things judges sign very seriously.

— Phillip Hatfield (@HatfieldlawDean) September 14, 2021

And who would want a judge who doesn't stand behind their statements with conviction? Fair-weather (or at least lukewarm) stances and jurisprudence don't go well together.

— Jordan Blake (@JordanBlake_) September 14, 2021