Brett Kavanaugh is a second justice to the bench in addition to Justice Neil Gorsuch to be nominated by Donald Trump after United States Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy retired earlier.
Trump earlier narrowed his list of candidates to four finalists, which reportedly was comprised of Raymond Kethledge, Thomas Hardiman, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett.
Kavanaugh is poised to fill the spot vacated by Anthony Kennedy, who served on the Supreme Court bench for 30 years. Kennedy, who was nominated by US President by Ronald Reagan, announced his intention to resign on June 27. According to a statement from the US Supreme Court, Kennedy’s resignation will be effective on July 31.
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Shortly after taking office, Trump tapped Neil Gorsuch to fill the seat left behind by Justice Antonin Scalia, who passed away in February 2016. The US Senate refused to consider the nomination of Merrick Garland in 2016, widely considered President Barack Obama’s preferred choice to replace Scalia, and Gorsuch was sworn into office on April 10, 2017.
