Brett Kavanaugh facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Brett Kavanaugh
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Official portrait, 2018
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| Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States | |
| Assumed office October 6, 2018 |
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| Nominated by | Donald Trump |
| Preceded by | Anthony Kennedy |
| Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit | |
| In office May 30, 2006 – October 6, 2018 |
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| Nominated by | George W. Bush |
| Preceded by | Laurence Silberman |
| Succeeded by | Neomi Rao |
| White House Staff Secretary | |
| In office June 6, 2003 – May 30, 2006 |
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| President | George W. Bush |
| Preceded by | Harriet Miers |
| Succeeded by | Raul Yanes |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Brett Michael Kavanaugh
February 12, 1965 Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse |
Ashley Estes
(m. 2004) |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | Yale University (BA, JD) |
| Signature |  |
Brett Michael Kavanaugh was born on February 12, 1965. He is an American lawyer and judge. He currently serves as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States.
President Donald Trump chose him for this important role on July 9, 2018. Justice Kavanaugh has been serving on the Supreme Court since October 6, 2018. Before joining the Supreme Court, he was a judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit from 2006 to 2018.
Kavanaugh studied history at Yale University. He then went to Yale Law School. After law school, he started his career working for Judge Ken Starr. He later helped with investigations related to President Bill Clinton. He also worked in the administration of President George W. Bush. There, he helped find and approve people for judge positions.
President Trump nominated Kavanaugh to the U.S. Supreme Court in 2018. This was to fill the spot left by Justice Anthony Kennedy. After a vote in the Senate, Kavanaugh was confirmed and became a Supreme Court Justice.
Since 2020, Justice Kavanaugh has often been seen as a "swing vote" on the Court. This means his vote can sometimes decide the outcome of a case when the other justices are split.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Brett Kavanaugh was born in Washington, D.C. on February 12, 1965. His mother, Martha, was a history teacher. She later became a judge in Maryland. His father, Everett, was a lawyer.
Kavanaugh grew up in Bethesda, Maryland. As a teenager, he went to Georgetown Preparatory School. This is a Jesuit school for boys. He was good at sports there. He was the captain of the basketball team and played football.
After high school in 1983, Kavanaugh went to Yale University. He played on the junior varsity basketball team. He also wrote articles about sports for the Yale Daily News. In 1987, he earned a degree in history from Yale.
He then attended Yale Law School. He was a member of the Yale Law Journal. He graduated from Yale Law School with a law degree in 1990.
Legal Career (1990–2006)
Kavanaugh started his legal career as a law clerk. He worked for Judge Ken Starr. When Starr became the head of the Office of Independent Counsel, Kavanaugh helped him. He assisted with investigations involving President Bill Clinton.
After the 2000 presidential election, Kavanaugh worked for George W. Bush's campaign. He then joined the Bush administration. He became the White House staff secretary. In this role, he helped find and approve people for judge positions.
In 2003, President Bush nominated Kavanaugh to be a judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. His approval process was difficult and took three years. Some people thought he was too focused on one political party. In May 2006, he was finally approved for the position.
U.S. Circuit Judge (2006–2018)
President George W. Bush nominated Brett Kavanaugh to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit in 2003. However, his approval was delayed in the Senate for almost three years. Some senators believed he was too partisan.
The Senate Judiciary Committee recommended his approval in May 2006. The full Senate then voted to confirm him on May 26, 2006. He was sworn in on June 1. He was the fourth judge President Bush nominated to this court to be confirmed.
During his time as a circuit judge, Kavanaugh wrote many opinions. These opinions covered various legal areas.
Nomination to the Supreme Court
On July 2, 2018, Brett Kavanaugh was one of four judges interviewed by President Donald Trump. Trump was looking for someone to replace Justice Anthony Kennedy on the Supreme Court. On July 9, Trump announced he was nominating Kavanaugh.
Kavanaugh's approval process for the Supreme Court was closely watched. The Senate Judiciary Committee held public hearings. During these hearings, senators asked Kavanaugh many questions. He explained his legal ideas and how he would approach cases.
On October 5, the Senate voted to move his nomination forward. On October 6, the Senate confirmed Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court. The vote was very close, 50–48. This was one of the closest Supreme Court confirmation votes in history.
Swearing-in
Kavanaugh was sworn in as the 114th justice of the Supreme Court on the evening of October 6, 2018. Chief Justice John Roberts gave him the Constitutional Oath. Justice Anthony Kennedy, whom Kavanaugh was replacing, gave him the Judicial Oath. A public ceremony was held at the White House on October 8.
U.S. Supreme Court (2018–present)
Justice Kavanaugh began his work on the Supreme Court on October 9, 2018. He started hearing arguments for cases.
Early Decisions
Kavanaugh wrote his first Supreme Court opinion on January 8, 2019. This was for the case Henry Schein, Inc. v. Archer & White Sales, Inc.. The Court made a unanimous decision in this case.
In February 2019, Kavanaugh joined the majority in a case about the Sixth Amendment. This amendment deals with the right to a lawyer.
Important Cases
Justice Kavanaugh has been part of many important Supreme Court decisions.
- Capital Punishment: He has voted in cases related to the death penalty. In 2023, he wrote the main opinion in Reed v. Goertz. This ruling allowed a death row inmate to seek DNA testing on evidence.
- LGBT Rights: In 2020, he joined the majority in Bostock v. Clayton County. This case ruled that workplace protections cover people based on their gender identity.
- President's Taxes: In 2020, in Trump v. Vance, he joined the majority. The Court ruled that the Manhattan district attorney could get access to President Trump's tax records.
- Voting Rights: He has voted in cases concerning voting rules, especially regarding absentee ballots.
- College Athletes: In 2021, in National Collegiate Athletic Association v. Alston, he agreed with the Court's decision. The Court ruled that college sports were not exempt from antitrust laws. He said that college athletes should be fairly compensated.
Teaching and Scholarship
Kavanaugh has also taught law at several universities. He taught at Harvard Law School from 2008 to 2018. He also taught at Yale Law School and Georgetown University Law Center. Students often liked his classes.
In 2009, he wrote an article for the Minnesota Law Review. In it, he suggested that presidents should be protected from civil lawsuits while in office. He argued that such lawsuits could distract a president from their duties. He believed that if a president did something wrong, they could be impeached or prosecuted after leaving office.
Personal Life
Brett Kavanaugh is married to Ashley Estes. She used to be the personal secretary for President George W. Bush. They got married in 2004 and have two daughters. They live in Chevy Chase Section Five, Maryland.
Kavanaugh is a Roman Catholic. He often helps serve meals to people experiencing homelessness. He also tutors at a Catholic private school in Washington, D.C.
He enjoys running and has completed the Boston Marathon twice.
Images for kids
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Official portrait, 2018
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Cursive signature in ink
See also
- Donald Trump Supreme Court candidates
- List of justices of the Supreme Court of the United States
