Hey y'all, this is Josh in Portland, Oregon, where I just started law school and can't wait for those topical classes like constitutional law and criminal law.

This podcast was recorded at 517 PM on Tuesday, September 4th.

Things may have changed by the time you hear it. Alright, here's the show.

This one I say, Josh has very good radio voice.

Yeah, I was going to say if the law doesn't work out Josh.

Well hey there, it is the NPR Politics podcast.

The first day of confirmation hearings for President Trump's Supreme Court nominee, Brett Kavanaugh, have just wrapped up.

I am optimistic about the future of America.

I am optimistic about the future of our independent judiciary.

I revere the Constitution. If confirmed the Supreme Court, I will keep an open mind in every case.

I must my college political reporter.

I'm Ron Elving, Editor-Core Sponda.

And I'm Kelsey Snell, Congressional reporter.

So, Kelsey, you've been at the hearings today. Why don't you start for us and just explain what the mood was like?

Well, it took almost no time at all from when Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Rassley started pounding his gavel to the moment the Democrats started objecting.

And that was kind of the way things went for the entire hearing.

And it started this morning around 9.30 and it ended after 5 o'clock. It has been a long stretch and it's been filled with protesters.

With Democrats asking for the hearing to just stop all together.

And with a lot of bickering between senators who are sitting on this committee that often gets along pretty well.

So, Kelsey, let me stop you right there. You were talking about the fact that Democrats, you know, they were sort of demanding that this hearing be adjourned,

be postponed. Why? What's their argument there?

They've got a couple of different arguments, but the big one, the one that they think is the strongest reason for this to be postponed,

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