Still, Kagan noted the night before that Kennedy has been “a person who found the center” and ‘it’s not so clear we’ll have that’ now. Those accusations transformed the clash from a routine struggle over judicial ideology into an angry jumble of questions about victims’ rights, the presumption of innocence and personal attacks on nominees. The climactic 50-48 roll call capped a fight that seized the national conversation after claims emerged that he had sexually assaulted women three decades ago - allegations he emphatically denied.
Supreme Court, after a wrenching debate over sexual misconduct and judicial temperament that shattered the Senate, captivated the nation and ushered in an acrimonious new level of polarization - now encroaching on the court that the 53-year-old judge may well swing rightward for decades to come.Įven as Kavanaugh took his oath of office in a quiet private ceremony, not long after the narrowest Senate confirmation in nearly a century and a half, protesters chanted outside the court building across the street from the Capitol. WASHINGTON (AP) - Brett Kavanaugh was sworn in Saturday night as the 114th justice of the U.S.
