Full History Of Brett Kavanaugh In Timeline From 1964

1964: Title VII of the Civil Rights Act

In Bostock v. Clayton County, the Supreme Court ruled 6–3 that the workplace nondiscrimination protections in Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 should be interpreted as protecting people on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. Kavanaugh wrote a dissent.

February 12, 1965: Brett Kavanaugh's Birth

On February 12, 1965, Brett Michael Kavanaugh was born. He is an American lawyer and jurist who currently serves as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States.

Others born on this day/year

1978: Mother Earns Juris Doctor Degree

In 1978, Brett Kavanaugh's mother earned a Juris Doctor degree from American University.

1981: Swetnick's Allegations

Julie Swetnick described attending parties between 1981-1983 where Mark Judge and Brett Kavanaugh were present. She described witnessing efforts by Mark Judge and Brett Kavanaugh to cause girls to become inebriated so they could be gang raped.

1983: Graduation from Georgetown Prep

In 1983, Brett Kavanaugh graduated from Georgetown Prep and subsequently attended Yale University.

1983: Alleged Incident with Deborah Ramirez

In 1983, Deborah Ramirez alleged that Kavanaugh exposed himself to her and thrust his penis against her face after they had both been drinking at a college party during the 1983–84 academic year.

1983: Swetnick's Allegations

Julie Swetnick described attending parties between 1981-1983 where Mark Judge and Brett Kavanaugh were present. She described witnessing efforts by Mark Judge and Brett Kavanaugh to cause girls to become inebriated so they could be gang raped.

1987: Graduation from Yale University

In 1987, Brett Kavanaugh graduated from Yale University with a Bachelor of Arts cum laude in history.

1988: Member of the Federalist Society

Since 1988, Brett Kavanaugh has been a member of the Federalist Society.

1990: Clerkship for Judge Walter King Stapleton Begins

From 1990 to 1991, Brett Kavanaugh served as a law clerk for Judge Walter King Stapleton of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.

1990: Graduation from Yale Law School

In 1990, Brett Kavanaugh graduated from Yale Law School with a Juris Doctor degree. During his time there, he was a member of the Yale Law Journal and served as a notes editor during his third year.

1991: Clerkship for Judge Walter King Stapleton Ends

In 1991, Brett Kavanaugh's clerkship for Judge Walter King Stapleton of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit ended. He subsequently clerked for Judge Alex Kozinski.

1992: Clerkship for Judge Alex Kozinski

From 1991 to 1992, Brett Kavanaugh clerked for Judge Alex Kozinski of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.

1992: Fellowship with Ken Starr

From 1992 to 1993, Brett Kavanaugh earned a one-year fellowship with the Solicitor General of the United States, Ken Starr.

1992: Planned Parenthood v. Casey

In 1992, Planned Parenthood v. Casey reaffirmed Roe v. Wade. Kavanaugh noted that Planned Parenthood v. Casey (1992), which reaffirmed Roe v. Wade, was "precedent on precedent". According to Kavanaugh, Casey is a key decision about when the Court's precedent may be overturned.

1993: Reopens Investigation into Vincent Foster's Death

After his Supreme Court clerkship, Brett Kavanaugh reopened an investigation into the 1993 gunshot death of Vincent Foster. After three years, the investigation concluded that Foster had committed suicide.

1993: Clerkship for Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy

From 1993 to 1994, Brett Kavanaugh clerked for Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy.

1994: End of Supreme Court Clerkship

In 1994, Brett Kavanaugh's clerkship for Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy concluded.

1995: Mother becomes Maryland Circuit Court Judge

In 1995, Brett Kavanaugh's mother began serving as a Maryland Circuit Court judge in Montgomery County, Maryland.

1997: Private Practice

From 1997 to 1998, Brett Kavanaugh worked in private practice.

1997: Associate at Kirkland & Ellis

From 1997 to 1998, Kavanaugh was an associate at the law firm Kirkland & Ellis.

1997: Returns to Starr's Office

Until 1997, after his Supreme Court clerkship, Kavanaugh worked for Ken Starr as an Associate Counsel in the Office of the Independent Counsel.

September 1998: Release of the Starr Report

In September 1998, the Starr Report, principally authored by Kavanaugh, on the Bill Clinton–Monica Lewinsky sex scandal was released, arguing for Clinton's impeachment.

1998: Associate at Kirkland & Ellis

From 1997 to 1998, Kavanaugh was an associate at the law firm Kirkland & Ellis.

1998: Arguments before Supreme Court

In 1998, Kavanaugh rejoined Starr as an Associate Counselor. In Swidler & Berlin v. United States (1998), Kavanaugh argued his first and only case before the Supreme Court, asking the Court to disregard attorney–client privilege in relation to the investigation of Foster's death; the court rejected Kavanaugh's arguments by a vote of 6–3.

1999: Rejoins Kirkland & Ellis

In 1999, Kavanaugh rejoined Kirkland & Ellis, eventually becoming a partner.

December 2000: Joins Bush Legal Team

In December 2000, Kavanaugh joined the legal team of George W. Bush, which was trying to stop the ballot recount in Florida.

2000: Authored Amicus Briefs Supporting Religious Expression

In 2000, while at Kirkland & Ellis, Kavanaugh authored two amicus briefs to the Supreme Court that supported religious activities and expressions in public places: Santa Fe Independent School District v. Doe and Good News Club v. Milford Central School.

2000: Pro Bono Counsel for Elián González Relatives

While at Kirkland & Ellis in 2000, Kavanaugh was pro bono counsel of record for relatives of Elián González, a six-year-old rescued Cuban boy, unsuccessfully seeking to stop efforts to repatriate González to Cuba.

January 2001: Associate White House Counsel

In January 2001, after Bush became president, Kavanaugh was hired as an associate White House counsel.

2001: Mother ends term as Maryland Circuit Court Judge

In 2001, Brett Kavanaugh's mother ended her term as a Maryland Circuit Court judge in Montgomery County, Maryland, a position she had held since 1995.

2002: Thoughts on Anthony Kennedy

In 2002, Kavanaugh told other White House lawyers that he believed Supreme Court justice Anthony Kennedy would not approve of denying legal counsel to prisoners detained as enemy combatants.

July 2003: Assistant to the President and White House Staff Secretary

Starting in July 2003, Brett Kavanaugh served as Assistant to the President and White House staff secretary, succeeding Harriet Miers.

July 25, 2003: Nomination to the United States Court of Appeals

On July 25, 2003, President George W. Bush nominated Kavanaugh to the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, but his nomination stalled in the Senate for nearly three years.

2003: Kavanaugh's Email on Roe v. Wade

In 2003, Brett Kavanaugh stated in an email that he was unsure if all legal scholars referred to Roe v. Wade as settled law at the Supreme Court level, as the Court could always overrule its precedent. He clarified that he was commenting on the views of legal scholars at the time, not his own, and acknowledged the case had been reaffirmed since 2003.

2003: Nomination to U.S. Court of Appeals

In 2003, Brett Kavanaugh was nominated by President George W. Bush to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. His confirmation hearings were contentious and stalled for three years.

2003: Kavanaugh's Voting Record Analyzed

Two law professors evaluated Kavanaugh's appellate court decisions for the Washington Post, rating his decisions in four areas and found he had the most conservative voting record on the D.C. Circuit in three of those policy areas, and the second-most in the fourth, between 2003 and 2018.

2004: Marriage to Ashley Estes

In 2004, Kavanaugh married Ashley Estes, the personal secretary to former president George W. Bush.

May 11, 2006: Judiciary Committee Recommended Confirmation

On May 11, 2006, the Senate Judiciary Committee recommended Brett Kavanaugh be confirmed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit on a 10–8 party-line vote.

May 2006: Confirmation to D.C. Circuit

In May 2006, Brett Kavanaugh was confirmed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit.

May 2006: Confirmation hearing

In May 2006, at his confirmation hearing to the District of Columbia Circuit, Kavanaugh stated that he was a registered Republican.

2006: Appointment as U.S. Circuit Judge

In 2006, Brett Kavanaugh became a U.S. circuit judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.

2006: ABA Rating Downgrade

In 2006, the American Bar Association downgraded Kavanaugh's rating from 'well qualified' to 'qualified'.

2006: Military Commissions Act of 2006

In October 2012, Kavanaugh wrote for a unanimous court when it found that the Constitution's Ex Post Facto Clause made it unlawful for the government to prosecute Salim Hamdan under the Military Commissions Act of 2006 on charges of providing material support for terrorism.

July 2007: Accusations of Lying to Judiciary Committee

In July 2007, senators Patrick Leahy and Dick Durbin accused Kavanaugh of lying to the Judiciary Committee when he denied being involved in formulating the Bush administration's detention and interrogation policies.

2007: Teaching at Georgetown University Law Center

In 2007, Kavanaugh taught Constitutional Interpretation at Georgetown University Law Center.

2007: Kavanaugh Dissent in ExxonMobil Human Rights Case

In 2007, in Doe v. Exxon Mobil Corp., Kavanaugh dissented when the circuit court allowed a lawsuit making accusations of ExxonMobil human rights violations in Indonesia to proceed, arguing that the claims were not justiciable. He dissented again when the circuit court later found that the corporation could be sued under the Alien Tort Statute of 1789.

August 2008: Dissent on Appointments Clause

In August 2008, Kavanaugh dissented when the D.C. 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.

2008: Teaching at Harvard Law School

In 2008, Kavanaugh began teaching full-term courses on separation of powers at Harvard Law School. He was also hired as a visiting professor by Elena Kagan, then the dean of Harvard Law School.

2008: District of Columbia v. Heller

In October 2011, Kavanaugh dissented when the circuit court found that a ban on the sale of semi-automatic rifles was permissible under the Second Amendment. This case followed the landmark Supreme Court ruling District of Columbia v. Heller in 2008.

April 2009: Kavanaugh Concurrence on Guantanamo Detainee Transfers

In April 2009, Kavanaugh wrote a long concurrence when the court found that detainees at the Guantanamo Bay detention camp had no right to advance notice before being transferred to another country.

2009: Kavanaugh Defends Presidential Immunity

In 2009, Brian Bennett, writing for Time magazine, cited Kavanaugh's 2009 Minnesota Law Review article defending the president's immunity from prosecution while in office.

2009: Named Samuel Williston Lecturer on Law

In 2009, Kavanaugh was named the Samuel Williston Lecturer on Law at Harvard Law School.

2009: Article for Minnesota Law Review

In 2009, Kavanaugh wrote an article for the Minnesota Law Review arguing that Congress should exempt U.S. presidents from civil lawsuits while in office.

June 2010: Kavanaugh Concurrence on Al-Shifa Defamation Suit

In June 2010, Kavanaugh wrote a concurrence in judgment when the en banc D.C. Circuit found that the Al-Shifa pharmaceutical factory owners could not bring a defamation suit regarding the government's allegations that they were terrorists.

August 2010: Kavanaugh Concurrence on Al Bihani Claims

In August 2010, Kavanaugh wrote a lengthy concurrence when the en banc circuit refused to rehear Ghaleb Nassar Al Bihani's rejected claims that the international law of war limits the Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Terrorists.

November 2010: Kavanaugh Dissent on GPS Tracking

In November 2010, Kavanaugh dissented from the denial of rehearing en banc after the circuit found that attaching a Global Positioning System tracking device to a vehicle violated the Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution.

2010: Ran Boston Marathon

In 2010, Kavanaugh ran the Boston Marathon. His bib bore a non-qualifying number.

2010: Supreme Court Reversed Circuit Court's Judgment

In Free Enterprise Fund v. Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (2010), the Supreme Court reversed the circuit court's judgment by a vote of 5–4.

October 2011: Kavanaugh Dissent on Semi-Automatic Rifle Ban

In October 2011, Kavanaugh dissented when the circuit court found that a ban on the sale of semi-automatic rifles was permissible under the Second Amendment.

November 2011: Dissent on the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act

In November 2011, Kavanaugh dissented when the D.C. Circuit upheld the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA), arguing that the court lacked jurisdiction in the case.

2011: Teaching at Yale Law School

In 2011, Kavanaugh taught National Security and Foreign Relations Law at Yale Law School.

March 2012: Kavanaugh on Thimerosal in Vaccines

In March 2012, Kavanaugh wrote the opinion in Coalition for Mercury-Free Drugs v. Sebelius, holding that opponents of thimerosal-preserved vaccines lacked standing to challenge determinations by the Food and Drug Administration that vaccines and their components are safe and effective.

October 2012: Kavanaugh on Prosecuting Salim Hamdan

In October 2012, Kavanaugh wrote for a unanimous court when it found that the Constitution's Ex Post Facto Clause made it unlawful for the government to prosecute Salim Hamdan under the Military Commissions Act of 2006 on charges of providing material support for terrorism.

2012: Supreme Court Affirms Circuit Judgment in United States v. Jones

In 2012, the Supreme Court affirmed the circuit's judgment in United States v. Jones, a case where Kavanaugh had dissented from the denial of rehearing en banc in November 2010.

2013: Kavanaugh and the Yucca Mountain Nuclear Waste Repository

In 2013, Kavanaugh issued an extraordinary writ of mandamus requiring the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to process the license application of the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository, over the dissent of Judge Merrick Garland.

April 2014: Kavanaugh Dissent in SeaWorld Case

In April 2014, Kavanaugh dissented when the court found that Labor Secretary Tom Perez could issue workplace safety citations against SeaWorld regarding the multiple killings of its workers by Tilikum, an orca.

2014: Teaching at Harvard Law School

From 2014 Kavanaugh taught courses on the Supreme Court at Harvard Law School.

2014: Kavanaugh Concurs in Country of Origin Labeling Case

In 2014, Kavanaugh concurred in the judgment when the en banc D.C. Circuit found that the Free Speech Clause did not forbid the government from requiring meatpackers to include a country of origin label on their products.

2014: Kavanaugh Concurs in al-Bahlul Case

In 2014, Kavanaugh concurred in the judgment when the en banc circuit found that Ali al-Bahlul could be retroactively convicted of war crimes, provided the existing statute already made it a crime "because it does not alter the definition of the crime, the defenses or the punishment".

2014: Dissent from Denial of Rehearing En Banc

In 2014, after a unanimous panel found that the ACA did not violate the Constitution's Origination Clause in Sissel v. United States Department of Health & Human Services (2014), Kavanaugh wrote a long dissent from the denial of rehearing en banc.

2014: Supreme Court Reverses Kavanaugh on Clean Air Act Regulation

In 2014, the Supreme Court reversed Kavanaugh's decision on a Clean Air Act regulation in EPA v. EME Homer City Generation, L.P. by a vote of 6–2. Also in 2014, the Supreme Court reversed Kavanaugh's dissent from the denial of rehearing en banc of a unanimous panel opinion upholding the agency's regulation of greenhouse gas emissions in Utility Air Regulatory Group v. Environmental Protection Agency by a vote of 5–4.

May 2015: Dissent from Denial of Rehearing En Banc

In May 2015, Brett Kavanaugh dissented from a decision that denied an en banc rehearing of Priests for Life v. HHS, in which the panel upheld the ACA's contraceptive mandate accommodations against Priests for Life's Religious Freedom Restoration Act claims.

2015: Kavanaugh on CFPB Constitutionality

In 2015, Kavanaugh found that those directly regulated by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) could challenge the constitutionality of its design.

2015: Ran Boston Marathon

In 2015, Kavanaugh ran the Boston Marathon. His bib bore a non-qualifying number.

2015: Kavanaugh Concurs on NSA Metadata Collection

In 2015, in Klayman v. Obama, Kavanaugh concurred when the circuit court denied an en banc rehearing of its decision to vacate a district court order blocking the National Security Agency's warrantless bulk collection of telephony metadata, writing that the metadata collection was not a search.

2015: Supreme Court Reverses Kavanaugh in Michigan v. EPA

In 2015, the Supreme Court reversed Kavanaugh's dissent from a per curiam decision allowing the agency to disregard cost–benefit analysis in Michigan v. EPA by a vote of 5–4.

2015: Teaching at Harvard Law School

Kavanaugh taught courses on separation of powers at Harvard Law School until 2015.

February 2016: Kavanaugh Dissent on Qualified Immunity

In February 2016, Kavanaugh dissented when the en banc circuit refused to rehear police officers' rejected claims of qualified immunity for arresting partygoers in a vacant house.

October 2016: Kavanaugh Finds CFPB Design Unconstitutional

In October 2016, Kavanaugh wrote for a divided panel finding that the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's (CFPB) design was unconstitutional, and made the CFPB director removable by the president of the United States.

October 2016: Kavanaugh on Al-Bahlul Conviction

In October 2016, Kavanaugh wrote the plurality opinion when the en banc circuit found al-Bahlul could be convicted by a military commission even if his offenses are not internationally recognized as war crimes.

2016: Garland Nomination and Court Shift

Had Barack Obama's nominee Merrick Garland been confirmed in 2016, Stephen Breyer would have become the median swing vote when Kennedy retired.

2016: Presidential Campaign of Trump

In 2016, Trump was in the middle of a presidential campaign.

2016: Kavanaugh Dissent on Net Neutrality Rule

In 2016, in United States Telecom Ass'n v. FCC, Kavanaugh dissented when the en banc circuit refused to rehear a rejected challenge to the net neutrality rule, writing, "Congress did not clearly authorize the FCC to issue the net neutrality rule."

2016: Supreme Court Vacated the Circuit's Judgment

In Zubik v. Burwell (2016), the Supreme Court vacated the circuit's judgment in a per curiam decision.

April 2017: Senate 'Nuclear Option'

In April 2017, the Senate voted to invoke cloture, advancing the nomination to a final floor vote by applying the "nuclear option", which uses a simple majority vote instead of the traditional three-fifths supermajority.

October 2017: Garza v. Hargan Decision

In October 2017, in the Garza v. Hargan decision, Kavanaugh joined an unsigned, divided panel of the D.C. Circuit in holding that the Office of Refugee Resettlement does not violate an unaccompanied alien minor's constitutional right to an abortion by requiring that she first be appointed a sponsor before traveling to obtain the abortion.

2017: Kavanaugh's Testimony on Kozinski's Behavior

During his testimony, Kavanaugh said that Kozinski's 2017 exposure as an alleged prolific sexual harasser was a surprising "gut punch".

2017: Kavanaugh Praises Rehnquist's Dissents

In 2017, Kavanaugh praised Rehnquist's dissents in Roe v. Wade and Furman v. Georgia during a speech at the American Enterprise Institute.

January 2018: D.C. Circuit Reverses Kavanaugh's CFPB Judgment

In January 2018, the en banc D.C. Circuit reversed Kavanaugh's October 2016 judgment regarding the CFPB's design by a vote of 7–3, over Kavanaugh's dissent.

July 2, 2018: Kavanaugh Interviewed by Trump for Supreme Court Justice

On July 2, 2018, Kavanaugh was one of four U.S. Court of Appeals judges to receive a personal 45-minute interview by President Donald Trump as a potential replacement for Justice Anthony Kennedy.

July 9, 2018: Nomination to the Supreme Court

On July 9, 2018, Brett Kavanaugh was nominated by President Donald Trump to serve as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States.

July 2018: Issue Reemerges After Supreme Court Nomination

In July 2018, the issue of Kavanaugh's involvement in the Bush administration's detention and interrogation policies reemerged after his nomination to the Supreme Court.

July 2018: Kavanaugh on Supreme Court Shortlist and Sexual Assault Accusations

In early July 2018, Brett Kavanaugh was shortlisted for the Supreme Court. Around the same time in July 2018, Christine Blasey Ford accused Kavanaugh of sexual assault during their high school years.

July 30, 2018: Ford's Letter to Senator Feinstein

On July 30, 2018, Christine Blasey Ford wrote to Senator Dianne Feinstein, informing her of the accusation against Kavanaugh and requesting confidentiality.

September 4, 2018: Senate Judiciary Committee Hearings Begin

On September 4, 2018, the Senate Judiciary Committee commenced public hearings on Kavanaugh's nomination, which were delayed at the onset by objections from the Democratic members about the absence of records of Kavanaugh's time in the George W. Bush administration.

September 5, 2018: Kavanaugh's Responses During Senate Hearings

On September 5, 2018, during the first round of questions from senators, Kavanaugh declined to comment on coverage of preexisting healthcare conditions, semiautomatic rifle possession, Roe v. Wade, or the president's power to self-pardon.

September 2018: Criticism for Investigation into Foster's Death

In a September 2018 New York Times op-ed, Princeton University history professor Sean Wilentz criticized Kavanaugh for having invested federal money and other resources into investigating partisan conspiracy theories surrounding the cause of Vincent Foster's death.

September 20, 2018: Allegations of Yale Professors Advising Students on Clerkships with Kavanaugh

On September 20, 2018, The Guardian reported that two Yale professors had advised female law students at Yale that their physical appearance and femininity could play a role in securing a clerkship with Kavanaugh. The report led to an investigation, but no cause for sanction was found.

September 23, 2018: Publication of Ramirez Allegation in The New Yorker

On September 23, 2018, The New Yorker published an article by Ronan Farrow and Jane Mayer featuring an allegation by Deborah Ramirez, who accused Kavanaugh of exposing himself and thrusting his penis against her face at a college party during the 1983–84 academic year.

October 4, 2018: White House Response to Ford's Allegation

On October 4, 2018, the White House announced that after reviewing the FBI's probe, they found no corroboration of Ford's allegation against Kavanaugh.

October 6, 2018: Service on Supreme Court Begins

Brett Kavanaugh began serving as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States on October 6, 2018.

October 9, 2018: Kavanaugh Begins Tenure as Supreme Court Justice

On October 9, 2018, Brett Kavanaugh began his tenure as a Supreme Court justice, hearing arguments for Stokeling v. United States and United States v. Stitt.

December 2018: Kavanaugh's Vote on Planned Parenthood Cases

In December 2018, Brett Kavanaugh joined Roberts and the Court's liberal justices to decline to hear cases seeking to block women from receiving Medicaid-funded medical care from Planned Parenthood clinics.

December 2018: Ethics Complaints Dismissed

In December 2018, a special federal panel dismissed eighty-three ethics complaints against Kavanaugh, stating that lower court judges lacked the authority to investigate Supreme Court justices.

2018: Teaching at Harvard Law School

From 2014 until 2018, Kavanaugh taught courses on the Supreme Court at Harvard Law School.

2018: Article garnered attention

In 2018, Kavanaugh's 2009 article on presidential lawsuits garnered attention when he was nominated to the Supreme Court.

2018: Reported Salary

In 2018, Kavanaugh's reported salary was $220,600 as a federal judge and $27,000 as a lecturer at Harvard Law School.

2018: U.S. Supreme Court Vacated the en banc D.C. Circuit's judgment

In 2018, in a follow-up petition from the Solicitor General of the United States, the U.S. Supreme Court vacated the en banc D.C. Circuit's judgment and the girl's claim was ultimately dismissed as moot and does not serve as precedent.

2018: Supreme Court Reverses Circuit Judgment in District of Columbia v. Wesby

In 2018, the Supreme Court unanimously reversed the circuit's judgment in District of Columbia v. Wesby, a case where Kavanaugh had dissented when the en banc circuit refused to rehear police officers' rejected claims of qualified immunity in February 2016.

2018: Kavanaugh's Voting Record Analyzed

Two law professors evaluated Kavanaugh's appellate court decisions for the Washington Post, rating his decisions in four areas and found he had the most conservative voting record on the D.C. Circuit in three of those policy areas, and the second-most in the fourth, between 2003 and 2018.

January 8, 2019: Kavanaugh's First Supreme Court Opinion

On January 8, 2019, Brett Kavanaugh wrote his first Supreme Court opinion in Henry Schein, Inc. v. Archer & White Sales, Inc., a unanimous decision reversing an appeals court opinion.

February 7, 2019: Kavanaugh's Decision on Muslim Prisoner's Execution Delay

On February 7, 2019, Brett Kavanaugh was part of the majority in a 5–4 decision rejecting a Muslim prisoner's request to delay his execution in order to have an imam present.

February 2019: Kavanaugh on Louisiana Abortion Law

In February 2019, Brett Kavanaugh joined three conservative colleagues in voting to reject a stay of a Louisiana law restricting abortion, issuing a dissenting opinion and indicating willingness to reconsider if warnings from abortion rights groups materialized.

February 19, 2019: Kavanaugh's Vote on Execution of Man with Intellectual Disability

On February 19, 2019, Brett Kavanaugh joined Roberts and the Court's liberal justices in a 6–3 decision blocking the execution of a man with an "intellectual disability" in Texas.

September 2019: Publication of 'The Education of Brett Kavanaugh'

In September 2019, The New York Times reporters Kate Kelly and Robin Pogrebin published "The Education of Brett Kavanaugh: An Investigation," which contained information challenging Ford's account and suggesting pressure on Keyser to conform her story.

The Education of Brett Kavanaugh: An Investigation

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2019: Chua Returns to Teaching

Following an investigation into allegations about advising students on clerkships with Kavanaugh, Chua returned to regular teaching in 2019.

2019: Kavanaugh withdrew from teaching at Harvard

In 2019, Kavanaugh voluntarily withdrew from teaching at Harvard for the winter semester, after allegations of sexual misconduct against him.

June 15, 2020: Kavanaugh's Dissent in Bostock v. Clayton County

On June 15, 2020, in Bostock v. Clayton County, Brett Kavanaugh wrote a dissent arguing that sexual orientation discrimination has always been understood as distinct from sex discrimination.

June 29, 2020: Supreme Court Decides June Medical Services L. L. C. v. Russo

On June 29, 2020, the Supreme Court decided June Medical Services L. L. C. v. Russo, striking down Louisiana's requirement for abortion providers to hold hospital admitting privileges, with Kavanaugh dissenting.

July 2020: Supreme Court ruling on Trump's tax records

In July 2020, in Trump v. Vance, the Supreme Court ruled in two 7–2 decisions that the Manhattan district attorney could access Trump's tax records, but that the issue of whether Congress could access the same records needed to be processed through the lower courts. Kavanaugh joined the majority.

October 2020: Kavanaugh's Decision on Kim Davis Appeal

In October 2020, Brett Kavanaugh agreed with the justices in an "apparently unanimous" decision to deny an appeal brought by Kim Davis, a county clerk who refused to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples.

November 2020: Kavanaugh Reassigned to Sixth and Eighth Circuits

In November 2020, Brett Kavanaugh was reassigned to both the Sixth Circuit and the Eighth Circuit, having previously been assigned to the Seventh Circuit.

2020: Regarded as a Swing Vote

Since the death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg in 2020, Brett Kavanaugh has come to be regarded as a swing vote on the Supreme Court.

June 2021: Concurrence in NCAA v. Alston

In June 2021, Kavanaugh concurred in National Collegiate Athletic Association v. Alston, where the Court ruled college sports were not exempt from antitrust law. Kavanaugh called the NCAA a "massive money-raising enterprise on the backs of student athletes who are not fairly compensated."

September 2021: Kavanaugh's Vote on Texas Heartbeat Act

In September 2021, Brett Kavanaugh voted with the majority in the Supreme Court to decline an emergency petition to temporarily block enforcement of the Texas Heartbeat Act, which bans nearly all abortions after six weeks of pregnancy.

November 2021: Declining to hear an appeal from Mercy San Juan Medical Center

In November 2021, Kavanaugh voted with the majority of justices in a 6–3 decision to decline to hear an appeal from Mercy San Juan Medical Center, a hospital affiliated with the Roman Catholic Church, which had sought to deny a hysterectomy to a transgender patient on religious grounds.

January 2022: Kavanaugh's Vote on Alabama Execution

In January 2022, Brett Kavanaugh voted with the majority in a 5–4 decision to allow an execution to proceed in Alabama.

June 8, 2022: Sophie Roske traveled to Kavanaugh's home with plans to murder him.

On June 8, 2022, Sophie Roske traveled from California to Kavanaugh's home in Maryland with plans to break into his home, murder Kavanaugh, and die by suicide. Roske called the police on herself and was arrested.

June 2022: Kavanaugh's Vote to Overturn Roe v. Wade

In June 2022, Brett Kavanaugh joined four justices in voting to completely overturn Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization.

June 2022: Assassination Plot

In June 2022, Brett Kavanaugh was the target of an assassination plot by a suspect hoping to disrupt rulings in Dobbs and Bruen.

2022: Protests at Kavanaugh's Home

In 2022, Kavanaugh's home was the site of protests following the leak of a draft majority opinion for the Supreme Court case Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization.

2023: Kavanaugh's Majority Opinion in Reed v. Goertz

In 2023, Brett Kavanaugh wrote the majority opinion in Reed v. Goertz, ruling that Texas death row inmate Rodney Reed could seek DNA testing on evidence in his case despite the state's statute of limitations on such testing.

2023: Release of Doug Liman's Documentary 'Justice'

In 2023, Doug Liman's documentary 'Justice' recounts the sexual assault allegations against Kavanaugh, including the testimony of Ford and Ramirez.

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April 8, 2025: Sophie Roske pleaded guilty to attempted murder

On April 8, 2025, Sophie Roske pleaded guilty to attempted murder of a U.S. Supreme Court justice.

May 2025: Unreleased Documentary

As of May 2025, the film Justice, recounting the sexual assault allegations against Kavanaugh, has yet to be scheduled for a wide release.

July 2, 2025: ACLU sues the Trump administration over ICE raids

On July 2, 2025, the ACLU sued the Trump administration in federal court over the ongoing ICE raids in Los Angeles.

October 3, 2025: Sophie Roske sentenced to 97 months in prison

On October 3, 2025, U.S. district judge Deborah Boardman sentenced Sophie Roske to 97 months in prison and a lifetime of supervised release for attempted murder of a U.S. Supreme Court justice.