Brett Kavanaugh | |
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![]() Official portrait, 2018 | |
Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States | |
Assumed office October 6, 2018 | |
Nominated by | Donald Trump |
Preceded by | Anthony Kennedy |
Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit | |
In office May 30, 2006 – October 6, 2018 | |
Nominated by | George W. Bush |
Preceded by | Laurence Silberman |
Succeeded by | Neomi Rao |
White House Staff Secretary | |
In office June 6, 2003 – May 30, 2006 | |
President | George W. Bush |
Preceded by | Harriet Miers |
Succeeded by | Raul Yanes |
Personal details | |
Born | Brett Michael Kavanaugh February 12, 1965 Washington, D.C., U.S. |
Political party | Republican[1] |
Spouse | |
Children | 2 |
Education | Yale University (BA, JD) |
Signature | ![]() |
Brett Michael Kavanaugh (/ˈkævənɔː/; born February 12, 1965) is an American lawyer and jurist serving as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. He was nominated by President Donald Trump on July 9, 2018, and has served since October 6, 2018. He was previously a U.S. circuit judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit from 2006 to 2018.[2]
Kavanaugh studied history at Yale University, where he joined the Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity. He then attended Yale Law School, after which he began his career as a law clerk working under Judge Ken Starr. After Starr left the D.C. Circuit to become the head of the Office of Independent Counsel, Kavanaugh assisted him with investigations concerning President Bill Clinton, including drafting the Starr Report recommending Clinton's impeachment. He joined the Bush administration as White House staff secretary and was a central figure in its efforts to identify and confirm judicial nominees.[3] Bush nominated Kavanaugh to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit in 2003. His confirmation hearings were contentious and stalled for three years over charges of partisanship. Kavanaugh was confirmed to the D.C. Circuit in May 2006.[2][4][5]
President Trump nominated Kavanaugh to the U.S. Supreme Court on July 9, 2018, to fill the position vacated by Justice Anthony Kennedy. Before his U.S. Senate confirmation proceedings began, Christine Blasey Ford accused Kavanaugh of sexually assaulting her in the early 1980s.[6][7][8] Three other women also accused Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct, one of whom later recanted her story.[9][10][11][12] None of the accusations were corroborated by eyewitness testimony, and Kavanaugh denied them. The Senate Judiciary Committee held a supplemental hearing over the allegations and voted 11–10 along party lines to advance the confirmation to a full Senate vote.[13] On October 6, the full Senate confirmed Kavanaugh by a vote of 50–48.[14][15]
Since the death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg in 2020, Kavanaugh has come to be regarded as a swing vote on the Court.[16][17] He was the target of an assassination plot in June 2022; the suspect had hoped to disrupt the rulings in Dobbs and Bruen.[18]
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