It might be inherent in our Constitutional design that a Supreme Court nominee would reflect the values of his or her appointing president. But when that nominee is the mirror image of a deeply corrupt president, whose authoritarian impulse to put himself above the law flashes through in 140-character outbursts, it’s not a family resemblance we can afford to ignore.

Brett Kavanaugh has shown throughout his nomination process that he has a distinct leaning toward holding the president immune from a criminal investigation, even as President Trump seems ever closer to drowning in one. Even more disturbing, however, is a comparison of President Trump’s most erratic and lawless statements with the more erudite and crafted positions of Judge Kavanaugh.