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

US Lawmakers Begin Hearing on New Supreme¹ Court Candidate

United States lawmakers began a hearing today on a new candidate for the Supreme Court. President Donald Trump² has nominated Brett Kavanaugh to replace Anthony Kennedy, who retired³ 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 investigation⁴ led to Clinton’s impeachment⁵.

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 investigations⁶ while they were in office. He has said that the work of defending themselves can interfere⁷ 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 abortion⁸, 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

1 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

2 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

3 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

4 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

5 impeachment   

n.弹劾；控告；怀疑

参考例句：

• Impeachment is considered a drastic measure in the United States.在美国，弹劾被视为一种非常激烈的措施。
• The verdict resulting from his impeachment destroyed his political career.他遭弹劾后得到的判决毁了他的政治生涯。

6 investigations   

（正式的）调查( investigation的名词复数 )； 侦查； 科学研究； 学术研究

参考例句：

• His investigations were intensive and thorough but revealed nothing. 他进行了深入彻底的调查，但没有发现什么。
• He often sent them out to make investigations. 他常常派他们出去作调查。

7 interfere   

v.(in)干涉，干预；(with)妨碍，打扰

参考例句：

• If we interfere, it may do more harm than good.如果我们干预的话，可能弊多利少。
• When others interfere in the affair,it always makes troubles. 别人一卷入这一事件，棘手的事情就来了。

8 abortion   

n.流产，堕胎

参考例句：

• She had an abortion at the women's health clinic.她在妇女保健医院做了流产手术。
• A number of considerations have led her to have a wilful abortion.多种考虑使她执意堕胎。