The Kavanaugh nomination battle illustrates the degradation of the federal judicial confirmation process. Most recently, the current Senate majority has
ignored a Democratic Supreme Court nominee eight months prior to a presidential election but rushed to confirm a Republican nominee four months before a Senate election;
practically eliminated judicial confirmations in the eighth year of an opposing president's term;
eliminated consensus-building filibusters for Supreme Court nominees, citing a shaky 2013 precedent;
jettisoned a blue slip process that it exploited under a Democratic president.
