Trump Taps Judge Brett Kavanaugh for SCOTUS Seat
Since the retirement of Justice Kennedy was announced, the nation's been patiently waiting to find out who President Trump would nominate. Yesterday, in the evening, President Trump announced that Judge Brett Kavanaugh of the DC Circuit Court of Appeals was his pick.
Interestingly, as speculated by the ABA back in November, Trump added Judge Kavanaugh to the short-list of nominees as a sort of enticement to Justice Kennedy. Kavanaugh was a former clerk to Justice Kennedy, and the White House did release a statement claiming Kavanaugh would be a frontrunner for the nomination (which was believed, at the time, to be designed to help ease Justice Kennedy's potential apprehensions about retirement).
So Who Is Brett Kavanaugh?
Judge Kavanaugh is currently on the federal appellate court in DC. Though Kavanaugh was nominated in 2003 by President Bush, he was not confirmed until 2006. His Supreme Court confirmation likely won't be held up in the same way, though there is some partisan controversy (as there always is and will be).
Notably, he is a former member of Ken Starr's team that recommended the impeachment of President Clinton. He also worked on the team of lawyers that fought for George W. Bush in the infamous Florida recount. Later, he joined the White House staff of advisors for President Bush. Prior to his political career, Kavanaugh was a partner at Kirkland and Ellis, and even made it up to the argue before the Supreme Court once himself (though he lost).
Additionally, Judge Kavanaugh is seemingly well qualified for the bench, having served on the appellate court for over a decade, and having clerked for Justice Kennedy on the High Court, as well as judges in both the Third and Ninth Circuit courts. Kavanaugh graduated from Yale undergraduate, and Yale Law, and also had a mother who was a state court judge in Maryland.
Related Resources:
- Is Trump's Supreme Court Nominee a Shoo-In, No Matter Who It Is? (FindLaw's Supreme Court Blog)
- Is Justice Kagan Moving Right? (FindLaw's Supreme Court Blog)
- 5 Biggest Issues Decided During SCOTUS Spring 2018 Session (FindLaw's Supreme Court Blog)