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New trial date for two accused of killing DJ in drive-by shooting

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Imperial Supplies holds grand opening for Jenkins Twp. distribution center

<p>WILKES-BARRE &#8212; U.S. Rep. Lou Barletta praised President Donald Trump&#8217;s nomination of Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the U.S. Supreme Court, while his opponent in the race for U.S. Senate stood by his opposition to the nominee.</p><p>&#8220;Judge Kavanaugh has a reputation as one of the most revered legal minds in America,&#8221; Barletta said Tuesday at a news conference in Harrisburg. &#8220;His record shows respect for the Constitution and the rule of law.&#8221;</p><p>Hours before Trump nominated Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court on Monday night, Casey made it clear he would oppose any selection. Casey, D-Scranton, said that in a nation with over 700 sitting federal judges, many of whom were appointed by Republican presidents, it is &#8220;outrageous that President Trump will nominate from a list of just 25 dictated to him&#8221; by the Heritage Foundation. Casey called that &#8220;a corrupt bargain.&#8221;</p><p>Barletta said Tuesday that Trump&#8217;s process for selecting Kavanaugh &#8220;has been the most transparent in history and the American people should expect the same thing from the Senate.&#8221;</p><p>Casey campaign spokesman Max Steele said Casey has been clear that he opposes the president&#8217;s nomination of Kavanaugh because it is the product of &#8220;a corrupt bargain between Washington Republicans and their corporate special interest backers who are hell-bent on ending protections for those with pre-existing conditions, crushing unions, and promoting policies that will leave the middle-class further behind.&#8221;</p><p>Steele added, &#8220;Congressman Barletta is simultaneously praising the White House for giving Americans a chance to evaluate potential nominees by releasing a list ahead of time and condemning Senator Casey for using that list to evaluate those potential nominees.&#8221;</p><p>Given Kavanaugh&#8217;s background, Pennsylvania GOP Chairman Val DiGiorgio and Barletta urged the Senate to quickly act on the confirmation, pointing out Casey said he would not support Kavanaugh&#8217;s confirmation even before he was announced as the nominee.</p><p>&#8220;During the lead-up to the announcement of Judge Kavanaugh&#8217;s nomination, Bob Casey displayed the kind of blatant, uncalled for obstruction he has become known for,&#8221; DiGiorgio said.</p><p>Barletta added: &#8220;Bob Casey is not interested in giving Judge Kavanaugh the fair process that Pennsylvanians expect.&#8221;</p><p>Currently, Kavanaugh serves on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit.</p><p>U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Lehigh Valley, said based on his reputation and resume, Kavanaugh appears to have the intellect and experience necessary to sit on the nation&#8217;s highest court.</p><p>&#8220;Judicial nominees, including those for the Supreme Court, should understand that the proper role of a judge is to apply the law, including the U.S. Constitution, as written,&#8221; Toomey said. &#8220;I plan to apply this standard while reviewing Judge Kavanaugh&#8217;s record and I hope my colleagues will do the same so that Republicans and Democrats can work together to confirm highly qualified jurists.&#8221;</p><p>Meanwhile, Democratic National Committee Chair Tom Perez said Kavanaugh &#8220;should not be allowed anywhere near our nation&#8217;s highest bench.&#8221;</p><p>Perez added, &#8220;Let&#8217;s be clear: a vote for Kavanaugh would be a vote to rip health care from American families and deny women their constitutional right to make their own health care decisions.&#8221;</p><p>Perez said the reason Trump chose Kavanaugh was because the president wants to overturn Roe v. Wade and gut the Affordable Care Act.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Casey </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/web1_Casey_Bob_2013_toned-2.jpg</photo0><caption0>Casey </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/web1_Val-DiGiorgio-2.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">DiGiorgio </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/web1_Val-DiGiorgio-2.jpg</photo1><caption1>DiGiorgio </caption1><photoCredit1></photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/web1_Barletta_Lou-CMYK-2.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Barletta </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/web1_Barletta_Lou-CMYK-2.jpg</photo2><caption2>Barletta </caption2><photoCredit2></photoCredit2></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><subheadMeta>Dems worried about abortion rights, health care</subheadMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Bill O&#8217;Boyle</p><p>boboyle@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Bill O&#8217;Boyle at 570-991-6118 or on Twitter @TLBillOBoyle.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Republicans praise Kavanaugh nomination; blast Casey on opposition