Hundreds of people have gathered outside City Hall in Portland to protest Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination to the Supreme Court.
The 53-year-old Kavanaugh is a conservative who could push the court more toward the right for a generation.
Organizer of Sunday’s protest Marie Follayttar told CBS affiliate WGME Kavanaugh could reject Medicaid expansion and roll back protections for people with pre-existing conditions. Other protesters criticized Kavanaugh’s views on abortion.
In Bangor on Sunday, between 80 and 100 protestors gathered at the Margaret Chase Smith Federal Building in Bangor, where Maine Republican Sen. Susan Collins’ office is located, to protest Kavanaugh’s nomination. Protest organizer Stacy Leafsong of the Maine Common Good Coalition told the BDN that many things would be at stake if Kavanaugh’s appointment was approved by the Senate, including abortion rights, marriage equality, voting rights and various environmental protections.
Collins previously said she would not decide on how she would vote until after the Senate Judiciary Committee holds confirmation hearings next month.
Maine’s Republican Party issued a statement after the protest, saying Kavanaugh will “faithfully interpret the law and protect the Constitution, not legislate from the bench.”
BDN writer Emily Burnham contributed to this report.
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