Kavanaugh joins ‘team of nine’

WASHINGTON – Having endured a trial by fire for three months as President Donald Trump’s very controversial nominee to the Supreme Court, Justice Brett Kavanaugh, 53, shouldn’t have as much trouble blending in to what he has termed the “team of nine” Tuesday morning.

Kavanaugh will be on the bench for the second week of the court’s 2018 term, having missed six oral arguments. His appearance follows a whirlwind weekend in which he was confirmed by the Senate, sworn in, hired law clerks and assembled his high court chambers.

Kavanaugh went straight to work Sunday after the Senate’s 50-48 confirmation vote Saturday afternoon, one of the narrowest in history. He inherited Associate Justice Samuel Alito’s chambers after Alito switched into retired associate justice Anthony Kennedy’s old digs.

Kavanaugh kept to his word by bringing with him the high court’s first all-female group of law clerks. One of his major efforts over 12 years on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit had been to mentor and promote female clerks.

Kavanaugh was sworn in privately Saturday evening by Chief Justice John Roberts and Kennedy, for whom he clerked 25 years ago.

Tuesday, Roberts will introduce him before the full court hears two criminal law cases regarding the proper penalties for gun crimes. Wednesday, the justices will consider a case concerning the government’s ability to detain undocumented immigrants awaiting deportation hearing.

Though more eyes may be on Kavanaugh, Roberts may be the most important justice after the retirement of Kennedy, the court’s swing vote. Kavanaugh is likely to align with the court’s more conservative justices, making Roberts the most likely to join the court’s four liberals on occasion.