President Trump has picked D.C. Court of Appeals Judge Brett Kavanaugh, a former clerk to Anthony Kennedy, as his nominee for Justice of the United States Supreme Court
The 53-year-old judge sits on the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. He grew up in Bethesda, right outside of Washington, DC and served in the George W. Bush administration.
Kavanaugh also served as a lawyer for Kenneth W. Starr during the investigation concerning President Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky.
Kavanaugh graduated with a major in history from Yale College in 1987 and received his law degree from Yale Law School in 1990.
Some believe the reason Kavanaugh was kept off early lists was because Trump might have felt he was a candidate from too far inside the Beltway, closely associated with Bush's administration having served as staff secretary.
He has a long paper trail of opinions and is a strong believer in the power of the executive. He also has expressed concern about whether federal administrative agencies have become too powerful, a worry he shares with White House counsel Don McGahn.
Kavanaugh has not expressed outright opposition to Roe v. Wade, and lacks an established record on gay rights and same-sex marriage -- but is sure to face questions from Democrats over how he might rule on those issues if confirmed.
