Judge Brett Kavanaugh
US President Donald Trump chose Brett Kavanaugh, a politically connected conservative judge, for the Supreme Court, setting up a ferocious confirmation battle with Democrats as he seeks to shift America’s highest court further to the right.
A favourite of the Republican legal establishment in Washington, Kavanaugh, 53, is a former law clerk for retiring Justice Anthony Kennedy. Like Trump’s first nominee last year, Justice Neil Gorsuch, Kavanaugh would be a young addition who could help remake the court for decades to come with rulings that could restrict abortion, expand gun rights and roll back key parts of Obamacare.
“There is no one in America more qualified for this position and no one more deserving,” said Trump, calling Kavanaugh “one of the sharpest legal minds of our time.”
Kavanaugh said “a judge must be independent and must interpret the law, not make the law. A judge must interpret the Constitution as written.”
Trump is replacing a swing vote on the nine-member court with a staunch conservative. Kavanaugh, who serves on the Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit, is expected to be less receptive to abortion and gay rights than Kennedy was. He also has taken an expansive view of executive power and has favoured limits on investigating the president.
Kavanaugh was a key aide to Kenneth Starr during Starr’s investigation of President Bill Clinton, worked on behalf of George W. Bush’s campaign during the election recount in 2000 and served in the Bush White House.
Some conservatives have expressed concerns about Kavanaugh, noting his time with Bush as evidence he is a more establishment choice. But his supporters have cited his experience and wide range of legal opinions.
With Democrats determined to vigorously oppose Trump’s choice, the Senate confirmation battle is expected to dominate the months leading up to November’s Midterm elections. Senate Republicans hold only a 51-49 majority, leaving them hardly any margin if Democrats hold the line.
Signalling the fight ahead on abortion rights, Dawn Laguens, executive vice-president of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, said: “The constitutional right to access safe, legal abortion in this country is on the line.”
Republicans are targeting Democrats for the confirmation vote who come from Trump-won states where they face re-election. Democrats are pressuring two Republicans who have supported access to abortion. Age-birthdate: 53, Feb. 12, 1965.
Birthplace: Washington, DC.
Education: BA, Yale University, 1987; JD, Yale
Law School, 1990.
Job: Since 2006: Judge, US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.
Job history: 2003-06: Staff secretary to President George W. Bush; 2001-03: White House counsel’s office; 1999-2001, 1997-98: partner, Kirkland and Ellis law firm; 1998, 1994-97: associate counsel, Office of Independent Counsel Kenneth Starr; 1993-94: law clerk, Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy; 1992-93: Office of Solicitor General; 1991-92: law clerk, Judge Alex Kozinski; 1990-91: law clerk, Judge Walter Stapleton. Family: Wife, Ashley Estes Kavanaugh; two daughters. Quote: “To be sure, the constitutional text does not answer all questions. Sometimes the constitutional text is ambiguous . . . but in far fewer places than one would think . . . We should not strain to find ambiguity in clarity. And even in those areas where there is true ambiguity, that should not mean ‘anything goes’.” — May 2014.