Hillary Clinton claims Kavanaugh will 'turn the clock back' to the 1850s, when slavery was legal

Hillary Clinton spoke out against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh during a speech on Friday, claiming the celebrated jurist would usher the United States legal system back to the 1850s.

What did Clinton say?

While speaking at an event for the American Federation of Teachers, Clinton paused to comment on Kavanaugh's nomination.

"This nomination holds out the threat of devastating consequences for worker's rights, civil rights, LGBT rights, women's rights, including those to make our own health decisions. It is a blatant attempt by this administration to shift the balance of the court for decades and to reverse decades of progress," Clinton said.

"You know, I used to worry that they wanted to turn the clock back to the 1950s. Now I worry they want to turn it back to the 1850s," she added. "These will be urgent fights. The stakes could not be higher."

Slavery was legal during the 1850s.

Clinton's comments serve as yet another example of the extreme rhetoric being used to describe Kavanaugh, whose most outspoken critics allege he will help the Supreme Court unravel many important cases involving civil rights, LGBT rights, health care, and abortion.

Former Virginia Gov. Terry McAullife (D) even claimed Kavanaugh's nomination "will threaten the lives of millions of Americans for decades to come."

Indeed, Democrats and progressive activists are holding nothing back in their fight against Kavanaugh, who faces intense scrutiny on Capitol Hill over the next several months as his confirmation process moves forward.

So far, many Democratic senators, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), have vowed to oppose Kavanuagh's nomination.