WASHINGTON — The Senate has confirmed Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the United States Supreme Court following months of debate amid allegations of sexual assault. The vote was 50-48.
The highest court in the land is now more conservative than at any other time in modern history, with no swing justice.
[WATCH LIVE: Senate Votes To Send Kavanaugh To Supreme Court As Protesters Swarm Capitol]
Anti-Kavanaugh protesters swarmed the Capitol Saturday morning ahead of the historic vote. Hundreds were arrested for breaching barriers and protesting without permits.
Protesters sing outside the U.S. Capitol ahead of the Senate’s final vote on Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaughpic.twitter.com/kaGrcJUaRj
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) October 6, 2018
HAPPENING NOW: Anti-Kavanaugh Protesters Being Arrested on Steps of U.S. Capitol After Breaching Barriers pic.twitter.com/zYy7kw409R
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) October 6, 2018
‘November Is Coming’: Protesters gather at US Capitol ahead of #Kavanaugh votepic.twitter.com/4INP5rGe07
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) October 6, 2018
The appointment of Judge Kavanaugh is a major victory for Republicans and sets up both parties for an energized midterm cycle.
B911 POLL: With The Confirmation of Kavanaugh, Which Party Is More Energized Going Into The Midterm Elections?
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) October 6, 2018
President Trump nominated Kavanaugh, 53, on July 9, 2018, to replace retiring Associate Justice Anthony Kennedy. When it became apparent that Kavanaugh was on the shortlist of nominees but after his name was announced publicly, Chrilasey Ford contacted a Washington Post tipline with allegations that Kavanaugh had sexually assaulted her in the early 1980s. Over the next few weeks the still unsubstantiated allegations have drawn damaging public attention. Two other women accused him of sexual misconduct. He denied all allegations, making note that many of Ford’s witnesses denied her statements.
Kavanaugh graduated from Yale College cum laude, with a degree in American history. After graduating from Yale Law School, he began his career as a law clerk and then a postgraduate fellow working under Judge Ken Starr. After Starr left the D.C. Circuit to take the position as head of the Office of Independent Counsel, Kavanaugh followed him to the OIC and assisted him with various investigations concerning President Bill Clinton, including the drafting of the Starr Report, which urged Clinton’s impeachment.
After the 2000 U.S. presidential election (in which he worked for the George W. Bush campaign in the Florida recount), he joined the administration as White House Staff Secretary and was a central figure in its efforts to identify and confirm judicial nominees.
Kavanaugh was nominated to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit by President Bush in 2003. His confirmation hearings were contentious; they stalled for three years over charges of partisanship. He was ultimately confirmed to the D.C. Circuit in May 2006 after a series of negotiations between Democratic and Republican U.S. Senators. A Washington Post analysis found he had the most or second-most conservative voting record on the D.C. Court in every policy area between 2003 and 2018.
