Reactions to Trump’s decision to nominate Brett Kavanaugh

Reactions rolled in swiftly to President Trump’s decision to nominate 53-year-old Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the U.S. Supreme Court, after Mr. Trump made the much-anticipated announcement Monday from the White House’s East Room.

Key for Kavanaugh’s nomination will be the decisions of a handful of moderate Republicans and moderate Democrats. So far, Sen. Joe Manchin, D-West Virginia, Sen. Doug Jones, D-Alabama, and Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, have said they are undecided on the president’s pick and will await a review. Kavanaugh needs just 51 votes to be confirmed by the Senate.

“As the Senator from West Virginia, I have a constitutional obligation to advise and consent on a nominee to fill Supreme Court vacancies and I take that responsibility seriously,” Manchin, who faces a tough reelection race in November, said in his statement. “Just as I did when Merrick Garland and Neil Gorsuch were nominated, I will evaluate Judge Kavanaugh’s record, legal qualifications, judicial philosophy and particularly, his views on healthcare.”

Kavanaugh, a Yale Law School graduate who clerked for retiring Justice Anthony Kennedy, once worked under former President George W. Bush. Bush was among the first to respond to Kavanaugh’s nomination Monday night. Kavanaugh worked for Bush during the 2000 recount, in the White House as an aide, and then was appointed to the federal appeals court in D.C. by Bush.

“President Trump has made an outstanding decision in nominating Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court,” the former president said. “Brett is a brilliant jurist who has faithfully applied the Constitution and laws throughout his 12 years on the D.C. Circuit. He is a fine husband, father, and friend – and a man of the highest integrity. He will make a superb Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States.”

Collins, a moderate Republican who is likely be a key vote during the confirmation process, praised Kavanaugh’s credentials.

“Judge Kavanaugh has impressive credentials and extensive experience, having served more than a decade on the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals,” Collins said in a statement.

“I will conduct a careful, thorough vetting of the President’s nominee to the Supreme Court, as I have done with the five previous Supreme Court Justices whom I have considered. I look forward to Judge Kavanaugh’s public hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee and to questioning him in a meeting in my office.”

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky, also had favorable words for Kavanaugh, who will need the Republican Party leadership’s support heading into his confirmation process. It is unclear yet if any Democrats in the Senate will vote to confirm him.

“President Trump has made a superb choice,” McConnell said in a statement. “Judge Brett Kavanaugh is an impressive nominee who is extremely well qualified to serve as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States.”

“I look forward to meeting with Judge Kavanaugh and to the Senate’s fair consideration of his nomination, beginning with the work of Chairman Grassley and the Judiciary Committee,” McConnell continued. “This is an opportunity for Senators to put partisanship aside and consider his legal qualifications with the fairness, respect, and seriousness that a Supreme Court nomination ought to command.”

A senior White House official tells CBS News’ Margaret Brennan that Kavanaugh will be escorted to Capitol Hill Tuesday by Vice President Mike Pence, who will introduce him to leadership on the Hill. Kavanaugh will also attend the Senate policy lunch.

This is a developing story and will be updated.