Justice Brett Kavanaugh
Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court
Brett Michael Kavanaugh was born in February 1965 in Washington, D.C. He earned an undergraduate degree from Yale University and received his Juris Doctor from Yale Law. He clerked at the Third Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals and earned a one-year fellowship with the Solicitor General of the United States, Ken Starr.
He continued to work with Starr as an Associate Counsel in the Office of the Independent Counsel and was a principal author of the Starr Report on the Clinton-Lewinsky scandal. He worked as an associate in the White House Counsel’s office during the George W. Bush Administration. He later entered private practice.
President Bush nominated Kavanaugh to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, but his nomination stalled in the Senate for nearly three years. He was ultimately confirmed by the Senate in a 57-36 vote and sworn in in June 2006.
President Donald Trump nominated Kavanaugh to a seat on the United States Supreme Court. After prolonged and contentious debate and the invoking of cloture, he was confirmed to the Supreme Court by a 50-48 vote and was sworn in October 6, 2016.
Kavanaugh is married to Ashley Estes and they have two daughters. He is a Roman Catholic.
In the News…
The Supreme Court heard 75 minutes of oral arguments in a case that will have wide-ranging implications for the future of climate change lawsuits against fossil fuel companies.
The suit was brought by the City of Baltimore, Maryland, against oil and gas companies seeking to hold the energy providers liable for the damage incurred from climate change. The city argued the companies are liable under Maryland state law for the city’s costs of dealing with climate change, such as the destruction caused by more extreme weather, sea-level rise, and increased public health risks.
Also at issue is whether cases such as this one belong in federal courts or state courts. The companies argue for federal courts, saying greenhouse gas emissions and climate change are national and global matters.
Associate Justice Brett Kavanaugh, during the oral arguments, said, “I think this is a close call, this case,” although he acknowledged there were “some problems” with the arguments of the industry.
Similar lawsuits have been filed in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Delaware, the District of Columbia, South Carolina, Minnesota, Colorado, Washington state, California, and Hawaii.
Contact this Leader…
Did you pray for Justice Kavanaugh today? You can let him know at:
The Honorable Justice Brett Kavanaugh
Supreme Court of the United States
1 First Street NE
Washington, DC 20543
