Trump names conservative judge for top Supreme Court position
● Brett Kavanaugh chosen for role ● Democrats set to oppose selection
US president Donald Trump has chosen Brett Kavanaugh – a solidly conservative, politically connected judge – for the Supreme Court, setting up a ferocious confirmation battle with Democrats as he seeks to shift the nation’s highest court ever further to the right.
A favourite of the Republican legal establishment in Washington, the 53-year-old is a former law clerk for retiring Justice Anthony Kennedy.
Like Mr Trump’s first nominee last year, Justice Neil Gorsuch, Justice 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.
“He is a brilliant jurist, with a clear and effective writing style, universally regarded as one of the finest and sharpest legal minds of our time,” Mr Trump said in his primetime televised White House announcement.
He added: “There is no-one in America more qualified for this position and no-one more deserving.”
With Justice Kavanaugh, the US president is replacing a swing vote on the nine-member court with a staunch conservative.
Justice Kavanaugh, who serves on the Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit, is expected to be less receptive to abortion and gay rights than Mr Kennedy was. He also has taken an expansive view of executive power and has favoured limits on investigating the president.
Speaking at the white house, Justice Kavanaugh pledged to preserve the Constitution. He said “a judge must be independent and must interpret the law, not make the law. A judge must interpret the Constitution as written”.
A senior White House official said Mr Trump made his final decision on the nomination on Sunday evening, then phoned Justice Kavanaugh to inform him.
The official said Mr Trump decided on Justice Kavanaugh because of his large body of jurisprudence cited by other courts, describing him as a judge that other judges read. On Monday, Mr Trump phoned retiring Justice Kennedy to inform him his former law clerk would be nominated to fill his seat. Mr Trump signed Justice Kavanaugh’s nomination papers on Monday evening in the White House residence.
Top contenders had included federal appeals judges Raymond Kethledge, Amy Coney Barrett and Thomas Hardi man. some conservatives have expressed concerns about Justice Kavanaugh, questioning his commitment to social issues like abortion and noting his time serving under President George W Bush as evidence he was a more establishment choice. But his supporters have cited his experience and wide range of legal opinions.
With Democrats determined to oppose Mr Trump’s choice, the Senate confirmation battle is expected to dominate the months leading up to November’s mid-term elections. Senate Republicans hold only a 51-49 majority, leaving them hardly any margin if Democrats hold the line.