Reading Time: 4 minutes When Judge Brett Kavanaugh met privately with Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) ahead of his confirmation hearings, the conservative nominee realized he was talking to one of only a handful of pro-choice Republicans in Congress. So, he said what he needed to say in one of the most important 1 on 1 meetings he would have in the confirmation process. Kavanaugh told Collins he sees the Roe v. Wade debate as “settled as a precedent of the court” and “settled law.”

“Settled law” seems pretty self-contained. It seemed to be a solid answer to the questions that swirl around Roe v. Wade and the future of abortion rights. However, it may not have been true. Last week a Kavanaugh memo surfaced from 2003 insisting that Roe shouldn’t be seen as settled law. Seems like Kavanaugh likes the words, “settled law”. It also seems like he uses them in different contexts depending on who he’s talking to.