VOA慢速英語：最高法院新候選人開始接受議員質(zhì)詢

US Lawmakers Begin Hearing on New Supreme Court Candidate

最高法院新候選人開始接受議員質(zhì)詢

United States lawmakers began a hearing today on a new candidate for the Supreme Court. President Donald Trump has nominated Brett Kavanaugh to replace Anthony Kennedy, who retired earlier this year.

美國議員們今天開始就最高法院新候選人舉行聽證會(huì)。川普總統(tǒng)提名布雷特·卡瓦諾(Brett Kavanaugh)接替今年早些時(shí)候退休的安東尼·肯尼迪(Anthony Kennedy)。

On the first day of the hearing, protestors shouted their disapprovals as Kavanaugh promised to be a "team player" on the court. The remark was notable because the nine justices on the Supreme Court can act like nine separate law firms. And, when the group decides cases, justices often split into the same two groups – conservative and liberal.

在聽證會(huì)頭一天，當(dāng)卡瓦諾承諾成為法庭的一位團(tuán)隊(duì)合作者時(shí)，抗議者們高聲喊出他們的不滿。卡瓦諾的這句話值得引起注意，因?yàn)樽罡叻ㄔ旱?名法官可以像9家獨(dú)立律師事務(wù)所那樣行事。而且，當(dāng)9人小組裁決案件時(shí)，大法官們通常會(huì)分成兩派--保守派和自由派。

But Kavanaugh appeared to reject the idea that he would be on either the conservative or liberal side. He said he would not decide cases on his personal views. Instead, he promised to decide cases "according to the Constitution and laws of the United States."

但是卡瓦諾似乎拒絕承認(rèn)他是保守派或自由派的觀點(diǎn)。他說他不會(huì)根據(jù)個(gè)人觀點(diǎn)來裁決案件。相反，他承諾根據(jù)美國憲法和法律來裁決案件。

However, independent observers note that Kavanaugh's earlier rulings as a judge are generally considered conservative.

然而，獨(dú)立觀察員指出，卡瓦諾之前作為法官的判決通常被認(rèn)為是保守派。

Kavanaugh is 53 years old. He has served for the past 12 years on the appeals court in Washington, DC. That court is believed to be the second most important court in the country, after the Supreme Court.

卡瓦諾今年53歲。過去12年他曾在華盛頓特區(qū)的上訴法院任職。該法院被認(rèn)為是美國第二重要的法院，僅次于最高法院。

In the early 2000s, Kavanaugh worked in the White House under then-President George W. Bush. He was also part of the legal team that investigated then-President Bill Clinton in the late 1990s. That investigation led to Clinton's impeachment.

在21世紀(jì)初，卡瓦諾在時(shí)任總統(tǒng)小布什領(lǐng)導(dǎo)的白宮下工作。他也是上世紀(jì)90年代調(diào)查時(shí)任總統(tǒng)克林頓的法律小組的一員。那次調(diào)查導(dǎo)致了克林頓被彈劾。

However, since then Kavanaugh has said U.S. lawmakers might pass a law protecting presidents from investigations while they were in office. He has said that the work of defending themselves can interfere with the president's job of leading the country.

然而，從那時(shí)起，卡瓦諾就表示，美國議員們應(yīng)該通過一項(xiàng)法律，保護(hù)總統(tǒng)在任職期間不受調(diào)查。他曾表示，為自己辯護(hù)的工作可能會(huì)干擾總統(tǒng)領(lǐng)導(dǎo)國家的職責(zé)。

As the hearing continues this week, lawmakers will ask Kavanaugh questions about his point of view on how much power presidents should have. They will also ask him his thoughts on legal issues related to abortion, gun rights and other issues.

隨著聽證會(huì)在本周繼續(xù)進(jìn)行，議員們將向卡瓦諾提出關(guān)于他認(rèn)為總統(tǒng)應(yīng)該擁有多大權(quán)力的問題。他們還會(huì)詢問他對(duì)涉及墮胎、槍支權(quán)利等法律問題的看法。

Witnesses will also speak about Kavanaugh.

證人們也將談到卡瓦諾。

After the hearing this week, lawmakers will vote on whether to approve Kavanaugh for the Supreme Court. If he is accepted, he could begin work as early as October 1. And, since U.S. Supreme Court justices serve for life, Kavanaugh could influence laws for a long time to come.

在本周的聽證會(huì)之后，議員們將投票決定是否批準(zhǔn)卡瓦諾進(jìn)入最高法院。如果他被接納，就可以從10月1日開始工作。而且，由于最高法院的大法官是終身任命，卡瓦諾可能會(huì)在未來很長一段時(shí)間里影響法律。

I'm Kelly Jean Kelly.

凱利·吉恩·凱利報(bào)道。