FRANCIS BOYLE, fboyle at illinois.edu
Boyle is professor of international law at the University of Illinois College of Law. He is quoted in a Guardian overview “‘The Stakes are Astronomical’: Brett Kavanaugh Confirmation Hearing Will be a Battle Royale,” which states: “’The only hope the country has is that Democrats will treat Kavanaugh like a hostile witness on the witness stand under cross-examination, throw him off script and break him down,’ said Francis Boyle, a law professor at the University of Illinois.“’You do not need a gentleman or gentlewoman to deal with Kavanaugh. You need a district attorney. Some Democrats are going to have to go for the jugular.’

“But Kavanaugh, 53, is no Daniel in the lions’ den. He is the ultimate Washington insider, steeped in the city’s political and legal establishments. His father spent more than two decades in the city as a lobbyist for the cosmetics industry. …”The groups Women’s March and Center for Popular Democracy Action are planning a day of action in Washington on Tuesday.

“Boyle … shares these concerns. ‘I think Kavanaugh was put on there to ensure Roe is overturned,’ he said. ‘He has used the Roberts dodge of saying it is settled law. So what? The Supreme Court can unsettle it tomorrow. He did not say it was decided correctly.’

“Critics note that Trump has relied heavily on the rightwing Heritage Foundation and Federalist Society to develop his shortlist for Supreme Court nominations. Boyle said: ‘Kavanaugh is an extreme ideologue and a legal hatchet man for the Federalist Society. He was their spear carrier for years. He is being put on there by Trump to do their business and make the court as far right as he can under the circumstances. It’s going to be bad for a lot of people: for gays, for African Americans, for labour, for women.'”