Justice Brett Kavanaugh Confirmed and Sworn In
Making SCOTUS history, Justice Brett Kavanaugh was confirmed and sworn in over the weekend and is expected to start working immediately at the High Court. How about that? They voted on a Saturday!
With the October 2018 term underway, clearly Kavanaugh plans to hit the ground running, which may hopefully be able to prevent any cases from going to a deadlock; after all, there have only been a couple arguments so far. But he will have a lot of catching up to do if he expects to meaningfully participate in this term's cases.
Confirmation Over Controversy
For many people on both sides of the partisan divide, Kavanaugh's confirmation controversy was rather troubling. Rushing through the investigation and forcing through the vote on partisan politics doesn't help to instill and ensure the public's confidence in the High Court.
The allegations made against him will certainly cast a shadow over his time on the Court, and will color the commentary of his decisions for years to come -- there's no doubt about that. Additionally, given the voracious appetite of the media, and the seemingly spotty history of Justice Kavanaugh (as Ms. Ford's allegations were not the only ones and were considered credible by a majority of the Senate), the Kavanaugh controversy could potentially be a never-ending spectacle, or one that continually pops up every few years, or when decisions related to certain hot-button topics arise.
And, for the dog Supreme Court lovers out there, sadly, we may be saddled with Judge Gritty.
Related Resources:
- Shock, and Kavanaugh Advancing to Full Senate (FindLaw's U.S. Supreme Court Blog)
- Science Under the SCOTUS Microscope This Term (FindLaw's U.S. Supreme Court Blog)
- Does Dementia on Death Row Matter? (FindLaw's U.S. Supreme Court Blog)