Democrats protest as US high court nominee's chaotic hearing opens

If confirmed by a Senate controlled narrowly by Trump's fellow Republicans, Kavanaugh is expected to move the high court - which already had a conservative majority - further to the right. Senate Democratic leaders have vowed a fierce fight to try to block the confirmation of the conservative federal appeals court judge.

Kavanaugh sat, fingers intertwined, quietly staring ahead at the committee members as audience members screamed while being dragged out of the hearing room.

Senator Dianne Feinstein, the committee's senior Democrat, said 93 percent of documents from Kavanaugh's White House tenure had not been given to senators and 96 percent not released to the public. "I really regret this but I think you have to understand the frustration" among Democrats," she said.

Republicans have said that Democrats have more than enough documents to assess Kavanaugh's record, including his 12 years of judicial opinions as a judge on the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. They have accused Democrats of seeking to delay the hearing for purely political reasons.

Republicans hold a slim Senate majority so they can approve Kavanaugh if they stay united. So far, there were no signs of defections, with the Senate likely to vote by the end of the month. The court begins its next term in October.

The hearing gives Democrats a chance to make their case against Kavanaugh ahead of November's congressional elections.

Trump nominated Kavanaugh, 53, to replace Justice Anthony Kennedy, who announced his retirement on June 27. He is Trump's second nominee to the Supreme Court. Trump last year appointed Justice Neil Gorsuch, part of his push to make the federal judiciary more conservative.

Reuters