WASHINGTON- Following the news that President Donald Trump selected Brett Kavanaugh to replace Anthony Kennedy on the Supreme Court, Heritage Foundation president Kay Coles James released the following statement:

"I applaud President Donald Trump for nominating Brett Kavanaugh to be an associate justice on the Supreme Court of the United States. The president understands that his appointments to the High Court may very well be his longest-lasting legacy, and he has selected yet another highly-qualified individual who, like Neil Gorsuch, will be impartial, fair, and principled. It’s more important than ever that we have justices who are faithful to the Constitution and interpret the laws and Constitution according to their text and original meaning.

"As Ronald Reagan once remarked, '[U]nless judges are bound by the text of the Constitution, we will, in fact, no longer have a government of laws, but of men and women who are judges.' 

"With the nomination of Judge Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court, the American people have an opportunity to learn about the limited, but important, role the judiciary was designed to play in our system of government."