Brett Kavanaugh

Brett Michael Kavanaugh, popularly known as Brett Kavanaugh is an American attorney and jurist serving as United States Circuit Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. Kavanaugh first started his career as a law clerk. Kavanaugh played a lead role in drafting the Starr Report, which urges the impeachment of President Bill Clinton. Kavanaugh then joined the administration as White Staff Secretary. President George W. Bush nominated Kavanaugh to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit in 2003 and confirmed after long three years following a series of negotiations between Democratic and Republican U.S. Senators.

Kavanaugh was nominated by Donald Trump to fill the post of Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States vacated by Anthony Kennedy on July 9, 2018. However, Judge Kavanaugh was once again dragged into controversy following sexual allegations pressed by Christine Blasey Ford.

Gossips and Rumours

Kavanaugh has denied all the accusations of sexual misconduct alleged by Christine Blasey Ford in high school. The hearing took place on September 27, 2018. The Senate Judiciary Committee extended a day of public hearing regarding the allegations of Kavanaugh. Kavanaugh claimed the accusations were just a “political hit” by left-wing activists and Democrats. After the hearing, the Republican leadership of the committee indicated that they plan to hold a committee vote on the nomination September 28, with a procedural vote on the Senate floor on September 29.
Christine Blasey Ford, a professor at Palo Alto University accused Kavanaugh that he had sexually assaulted her when she was in high school along with Kavanaugh. According to Ford, Kavanaugh pinned her to the bed, groped her, ground against her, tried to pull off her clothes, and covered her mouth with his hand when she tried to scream. Debra Katz, Ford’s attorney stated that Ford considers the assault to have been an attempted rape.
And the American Bar Association has called for a delay of Friday’s committee vote on Kavanaugh so that the FBI can investigate the allegations of sexual misconduct against him.

Brett Kavanaugh’s Early Life

Brett Kavanaugh was born to a father Everett Edward Kavanaugh Jr. and a mother Martha Gamble (Murphy) on February 12, 1965, Washington, D.C. His father was an attorney and served as the president of the Cosmetic, Toiletry and Fragrance Association for two decades, whereas his mother also served as a Maryland state Circuit Judge for six years.

Kavanaugh was raised in Bethesda, Maryland. He attended Georgetown Preparatory School. He was friends with classmate Mark Judge. He was also in same class with Maryland State Senate member Richard Madaleno. He was two years senior to future U.S. Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch there. Kavanaugh was a sports person during his school days. At school, he was the captain of the school’s basketball team. He also played football for the school team. Kavanaugh graduated in 1983.

Kavanaugh graduated from Yale University in 1987. He completed Bachelor of Arts cum laude. His attraction to Basketball continued at Yale as well. He played for university’s junior varsity team for two years. Kavanaugh remained at Yale and attended Yale Law School and graduated with a Juris Doctor in 1990.

Brett Kavanaugh’s Career

Kavanaugh started his legal career as a law clerk for judge Walter King Stapleton of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. Kavanaugh then clerked for Nith Circuit Judge Alex Kozinski. Kavanaugh was admitted to the Maryland Bar in 1990 and the District of Columbia Bar in 1992. Kavanaugh then earned one-year fellowship with Ken Starr, the Solicitor General of the United States in 1992 and clerked for Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy from 1993 to 1994. After Supreme Court, Kavanaugh worked as an Associate Counsel in the Office of the Independent Counsel for Ken Starr until 1997. Many criticised Kavanaugh for investigating federal money and other resources into investigating partisan conspiracy theories surrounding the cause of Vincent Foster’ death. Kavanaugh argued his first and only case before the Supreme Court in Swidler & Berlin v. the United States in 1998, which was rejected by the court by a vote of 6-3.

Kavanaugh was the principal author of the Starr Report to Congress. The report was released in September 1998. The report was about Monica Lewinsky-Bill Clinton sex scandal. The report argued on broad grounds for Clinton’s impeachment. Kavanaugh then joined the law firm of Kirkland & Ellis, as a partner in 1999. Next year, Kavanaugh joined the legal team of George W. Bush in December 2000. Kavanaugh was hired as an associate by the White House Counsel, Alberto Gonzales after Bush became the president of United States in 2000. He then served as Assistant to the President and succeeded Harriet Miers for White House Staff Secretary in July 2003. President George W. Bush first nominated Kavanaugh to the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit on July 25, 2003. Judge Laurence Silberman vacated it for senior status in November 2000. People for the American Way opposed his nominations. Democratic Senators did not favor his nominations as well. After three years, the United States Senate confirmed Kavanaugh on May 26, 2006, after The United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary recommended confirmation on May 11, 2006. Kavanaugh stated that he considered Roe v. Wade binding the principle of stare decisis during his confirmation hearing in 2006 for the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals. Kavanaugh presented the different opinion when the circuit found that the Constitution’s Appointments Clause did not prevent the Sarbanes-Oxley Act from creating a board whose members were not directly removable by the President. The circuit’s judgment was reversed by the Supreme Court by a vote of 5-4. Kavanaugh also expressed different opinions when the D.C. Circuit upheld the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act(ACA) in November 2011. The Supreme Court also reversed Kavanaugh’s circuit by a vote of 5-4 in Michigan v. EPA in 2015. The Supreme Court affirmed the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act, which could restrict soft money donations to political parties and could forbid campaign contributions by foreign citizens. The Supreme Court also affirmed circuit’s judgment through the Fourth Amendment about attaching a Global Positioning System tracking device to a vehicle in 2012.

Kavanaugh was dragged into controversy after The Guardian reported that two prominent Yale professors had advised female law students at Yale that their physical attractiveness and femininity could play a role in securing a clerkship with Kavanaugh. The report stated that female law students should exude a “model-like” femininity and “dress outgoing” in their job interview with Kavanaugh. Jed Rubenfield reportedly stated that Kavanaugh “hires women with a certain look”. Heather Gerken, Dean of Yale Law School stated that the allegations reported by the Guardian “are of enormous concern to me and the school” and also confirmed that they are investigating the allegations. Current President Donald Trump has nominated Kavanaugh for a seat on the Supreme Court to replace Justice Anthony Kennedy on July 9, 2018. The Senate Judiciary Committee scheduled three or four days of public hearing on Kavanaugh’s nomination. However, the Democratic members objected the hearing concerning the absence of records during the nominee’s time in the George W. Bush administration. Kavanaugh was once again dragged into controversy following allegations by Christine Blasey Ford regarding sexual misconduct while in high school. Deborah Ramirez and Julie Swetnick also came up front against Kavanaugh for similar allegations.

Brett Kavanaugh’s Personal Life

Kavanaugh and Ashley Estes started dating in September 2001. Ashley was then personal secretary to President George W. Bush. The couples were among the occupants of the White House evacuated during the September 11 attacks. Kavanaugh and Ashley tied a knot to each other in 2004. They have two daughters, Liza Kavanaugh, and Margaret Kavanaugh. Kavanaugh participated in the Boston Marathon in 2010 and in 2015.
Kavanaugh and his wife have lived in Chevy Chase Section Five, Maryland. Kavanaugh is a Catholic. He serves as a lector at his Washington, D.C. church, the Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament. He is of Irish descent.

Brett Kavanaugh’s Net Worth

Kavanaugh is not only a federal judge he is also a lecturer at Harvard Law School. His reported salary as a federal judge is $220,600. As a lecturer at Harvard Law School, his salary is reported as $27,000. Kavanaugh is considered as one of the poorest judges of all. Kavanaugh has listed just two assists valued up to $65,000 with a debt as much as $15,000 in his personal financial disclosure in 2017. The debt came from purchasing baseball tickets for himself. At present, the net worth of Kavanaugh is estimated at $8 million only.