President Trump announces his Supreme Court nomination

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- This evening all eyes were on the White House, as the President announced his nomination. If confirmed, Judge Brett Kavanaugh could be making decisions well into the mid-century.

President Trump introduced his nominee saying, "what matters is not a judge's political views, but whether they can set aside those views to do what the law and constitution require."

The Supreme Court Nominee then addressed the room saying, "I am deeply honored to be nominated to fill his seat on the supreme court."

Retired Judge Oliver Wanger served more than 20 years as a U.S. District Judge. He says with Kavanaugh's 300 plus published decisions and Ivy league educational background, he is not surprised by the pick. He even compared him to justice Scalia adding, "what an originalist does is attempts to give meaning, in the application of the law, to the words of the Constitution as the founders who wrote the constitution intended them."

Though this crucial appointment could tilt the court toward conservatives for a generation, Judge Wanger says, "he may be a surprise. You never know when someone gets into that position."

As for what that means for decisions like Roe v. Wade, he says, "If they decided there was no constitutional precedent or there are other reasons the decision should not continue to be upheld then they can reverse it. So it's going to be very interesting."

Kavanaugh must go through a vetting process. If he is approved by a majority of the sitting Senate Judiciary members, his nomination goes to the full Senate.

Senator Kamala Harris has already voiced her opposition issuing a statement that reads in part, "The Supreme Court has a profound impact on the rights-and lives-of all Americans. When at its best, it has advanced the meaning of those words above its doors, 'Equal Justice Under Law.' At its worst, the Supreme Court has upheld racial segregation, enabled voter suppression, and equated corporations with people. Whether or a not the Supreme Court enforces the spirit of those words, 'Equal Justice Under Law,' is determined by the individuals who sit on that Court. Judge Brett Kavanaugh represents a direct and fundamental threat to that promise of equality and so I will oppose his nomination to the Supreme Court. Specifically, as a replacement for Justice Anthony Kennedy, his nomination presents an existential threat to the health care of hundreds of millions of Americans."

Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell has already said a vote to confirm the nominee should happen by Fall.

Democrats want to wait till after the midterm election. They argue Republicans had set a precedent by refusing to vote, in 2016, on the nominee of then President Barack Obama. Republicans counter that 2018 is not a Presidential election year, so it is not the same.