VOA慢速英语2018 美国立法者召开最高法院新候选人的听证会（在线收听）

US Lawmakers Begin Hearing on New Supreme Court Candidate

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.

美国议员们今天开始就最高法院新候选人举行听证会。川普总统提名布雷特·卡瓦诺（Brett Kavanaugh）接替今年早些时候退休的安东尼·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.

在听证会头一天，当卡瓦诺承诺成为法庭的一位团队合作者时，抗议者们高声喊出他们的不满。卡瓦诺的这句话值得引起注意，因为最高法院的9名法官可以像9家独立律师事务所那样行事。而且，当9人小组裁决案件时，大法官们通常会分成两派--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.”

但是卡瓦诺似乎拒绝承认他是保守派或自由派的观点。他说他不会根据个人观点来裁决案件。相反，他承诺根据美国宪法和法律来裁决案件。

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

然而，独立观察员指出，卡瓦诺之前作为法官的判决通常被认为是保守派。

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.

卡瓦诺今年53岁。过去12年他曾在华盛顿特区的上诉法院任职。该法院被认为是美国第二重要的法院，仅次于最高法院。

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世纪初，卡瓦诺在时任总统小布什领导的白宫下工作。他也是上世纪90年代调查时任总统克林顿的法律小组的一员。那次调查导致了克林顿被弹劾。

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，从那时起，卡瓦诺就表示，美国议员们应该通过一项法律，保护总统在任职期间不受调查。他曾表示，为自己辩护的工作可能会干扰总统领导国家的职责。

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.

随着听证会在本周继续进行，议员们将向卡瓦诺提出关于他认为总统应该拥有多大权力的问题。他们还会询问他对涉及堕胎、枪支权利等法律问题的看法。

Witnesses will also speak about Kavanaugh.

证人们也将谈到卡瓦诺。

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.

在本周的听证会之后，议员们将投票决定是否批准卡瓦诺进入最高法院。如果他被接纳，就可以从10月1日开始工作。而且，由于最高法院的大法官是终身任命，卡瓦诺可能会在未来很长一段时间里影响法律。

I’m Kelly Jean Kelly.

Words in This Story

justice - n. a judge in a court of law

firm - n. a business organization

view - n. an opinion or way of thinking about something

impeachment - n. to charge a public official with a crime done while in office

abortion - n. a medical procedure used to end a pregnancy and cause the death of the fetus