Brett Kavanaugh

Brett Michael Kavanaugh (born February 12, 1965) is an American judge. He is an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States since October 6, 2018. He was the United States Circuit Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. He was Staff Secretary in the Executive Office of the President of the United States under President George W. Bush.

Kavanaugh played a lead role in drafting the Starr report, which urged the impeachment of President Bill Clinton.

Kavanaugh was nominated by President Donald Trump on July 9, 2018, to become an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, following the vacancy created by the retirement of Associate Justice Anthony Kennedy.

During the confirmation process, two women (including Christine Blasey Ford), accused Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct during his college years. Kavanaugh denied the allegations.

According to polling, Kavanaugh has the lowest measured approval rating of any Supreme Court Justice in the modern era.

Early life
Kavanaugh was born in Washington, D.C.. He was born to Martha Gamble (Murphy) and Everett Edward Kavanaugh Jr. He was raised in Bethesda, Maryland. He attended the same high school as Associate Justice Neil Gorsuch (just two years apart).

Kavanaugh, very active in college sports, attended Yale University. He graduated from Yale in 1987 with a Bachelor of Arts cum laude. He graduated from Yale Law School with a Juris Doctor in 1990.

Early career
Kavanaugh first worked as a law clerk for Judge Walter King Stapleton of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. Kavanaugh was admitted to the Maryland Bar in 1990 and the District of Columbia Bar in 1992.

Kavanaugh then earned a one-year partnership with the Solicitor General of the United States, Ken Starr. Kavanaugh next clerked for Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy 1993–1994.

From 1997 to 1998, Kavanaugh was a partner at the law firm of Kirkland & Ellis. In 1998 he rejoined Starr as an Associate Counselor.

Kavanaugh was a principal author of the Starr Report to Congress, released in September 1998, on the Monica Lewinsky–Bill Clinton sex scandal; the report supported Clinton's impeachment.

George W. Bush administration (2001–2006)
In December 2000, Kavanaugh joined the legal team of George W. Bush, which was trying to stop the ballot recount in Florida following the 2000 election. After Bush became president in January 2001, Kavanaugh was hired as an associate by the White House Counsel, Alberto Gonzales.

In July 2003, he became Assistant to the President and White House Staff Secretary.

U.S. Circuit Judge (2006–2018)

President George W. Bush nominated Kavanaugh to the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit on July 25, 2003. His nomination stalled in the Senate for nearly three years. Democratic senators accused him of being too partisan. In 2003, the American Bar Association had rated Kavanaugh as "well qualified".

The Senate Judiciary  Committee recommended he be confirmed on a 10–8 party-line vote on May 11, 2006, he was confirmed by the Senate on May 26 by a vote of 57–36. He was sworn in June 1.

Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States (since 2018)

Nomination

Kavanaugh was one of four U.S. Court of Appeals judges to receive a personal 45-minute interview by President Donald Trump as a possible replacement for Justice Anthony Kennedy. On July 9, 2018, Trump nominated Kavanaugh for a seat on the Supreme Court.

Political commentators said that Kavanaugh's nomination would push the Supreme Court to the right for many years. He is a known critic of abortion and Roe v. Wade decision. He is a supporter of the Brown v. Board of Education decision calling it the "single greatest Supreme Court decision in history".

Confirmation
On September 28, 2018, the Senate Judiciary Committee voted to confirm Kavanaugh to a full Senate vote in early October 2018. He was confirmed on October 6, 2018 with a 50 to 48 vote.

Sexual assault allegations

On September 27, 2018, Professor Christine Blasey Ford, accused him of sexual assault when they were both in high school. Republican members of the committee did not question Ford directly rather a Republican-hired investigator.

Ford said that they were both “visibly drunk” and that Kavanaugh had locked her into a bedroom, where he groped her and tried to take off her clothes. She said she “believed he was going to rape me” and feared for her life when he held his hand over her mouth. In his opening statement, Kavanaugh claimed the accusations were politically motivated by Democrats and Bill Clinton.

After Ford opened up about her accusations, two more women accused Kavanaugh of sexual assault/harassment. Deborah Ramirez accused Kavanaugh of exposing himself when they were at Yale. Later, former government employee Julie Swetnick, accused Kavanaugh of drugging her and raping her in a gang rape.

After the Senate committee vote, Senators Flake, Manchin and Murkowski called for an FBI investigation into the sexual assault allegations against Kavanaugh. President Trump ordered a limited investigation.

Personal life
Kavanaugh met his wife, Ashley Estes Kavanaugh, while working at the White House in 2001. They have two daughters. Kavanaugh is a Catholic. He lives in Washington, D.C.

Kavanaugh ran the Boston Marathon in 2010 and 2015.

References

Other websites

 
 
 Selected Resources on Brett M. Kavanaugh from the Law Library of Congress
 Biography from the Bush White House
  from the Justice Department's Office of Legal Policy
 Contributor profile from the Federalist Society
 Brett Kavanaugh Attorney Work Files for Independent Counsel Kenneth W. Starr from the National Archives and Records Administration
 Records on Brett M. Kavanaugh  from the George W. Bush Presidential Center
 Nomination documents from the United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary
 

1965 births
Living people
United States Supreme Court justices
Lawyers from Maryland
Yale University alumni
Politicians from Maryland
Politicians from Washington, D.C.
People from Bethesda, Maryland
US Republican Party politicians
American Roman Catholics
Lawyers from Washington, D.C.