George Kavanaugh

George Kavanaugh

Judge Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination to the Supreme Court sparked a fierce fight in the Senate. As an avid conservative legal activist, Kavanaugh’s confirmation was expected to create a reliable conservative majority on the Court.

But his confirmation suffered a major setback when Christine Blasey Ford, a former classmate and fellow Yale law student, accused him of sexual assault in the 1980s. Now the records of her civil lawsuit have been unsealed, bringing them back into public view.

Early Life and Education

Kavanaugh had a lifelong passion for sports, especially basketball. He often participated in pickup games with friends to keep fit.

At Yale, he was part of the Federalist Society – a group of students with conservative political opinions. However, his classmates noted that he seemed somewhat isolated there as well.

He served as a law clerk to a federal judge and studied antitrust law with Professor George Priest, according to those who knew him well. These experiences helped shape his future career as an attorney.

After graduating from Yale, Kavanaugh joined the Bush White House as a senior associate attorney and staff secretary. During his tenure there, he served on multiple legal teams such as homeland security and executive ethics.

Professional Career

George Kavanaugh has built his career on two distinct tracks, first as a conservative lawyer and activist, then as an avowed conservative judge. His intellectual acumen rivals that of Justices Clarence Thomas and Antonin Scalia, while his judicial philosophy rests on textualism and originalism – principles he has applied in numerous cases across the board.

As an assistant to Independent Counsel Kenneth Starr, he led investigations into President Bill Clinton’s affair with White House intern Monica Lewinsky and the murder of Deputy White House Counsel Vincent Foster. Additionally, he helped craft the portion of the Starr report that identified potential grounds for impeachment.

After serving as a partner at Kirkland & Ellis, he served as associate counsel and senior associate counsel to President Bush. In 2003 and 2006, his nominations to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit were denied Senate confirmation; however, in 2009 his nomination was confirmed by an overwhelming majority.

Achievements and Honors

Kavanaugh was appointed to the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit on May 30, 2006 and served as Associate Justice from 2006 until 2018.

He is renowned for his strong opinions on constitutional matters. For instance, he has challenged the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau over its unconstitutional structure.

In a recent opinion, he declared that presidents should not be subject to litigation or criminal investigation during their term in office.

Kavanaugh is a favorite among conservatives due to his longstanding support of issues such as separation of powers and executive privilege. Additionally, he strongly opposes abortion and gun rights.

Personal Life

George Washington Kavanaugh was born in Waterford, Saratoga County, New York on May 22, 1862 as the son of a prominent local businessman. During the late 19th century, he served as colonel on the staff of New York State’s governor Levi P. Morton.

He inherited the Karan Knitting Mills at Waterford, which he operated from late 1890s until 1929. Additionally, he served as director for Adirondack Trust Company in Saratoga Springs, New York.

He served on the Lawyers for Bush-Cheney organization during the 2000 presidential election, which successfully ended voter recounts in Florida after that year’s presidential election (see Bush v. Gore).

He then became a partner at Kirkland & Ellis in Washington, D.C. He also served as associate independent counsel in the Whitewater investigation and was appointed to the Supreme Court by President Trump in October 2018.

Net Worth

Before being appointed as a Supreme Court Justice, George Kavanaugh served as a law clerk to Judge Walter King Stapleton of the US Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit and Judge Alex Kozinski of the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Additionally, he completed a one-year fellowship under Ken Starr – then Solicitor General of America – prior to joining the bench.

His 2017 personal financial disclosure revealed two assets, Bank of America accounts valued between $15,001 and $50,000 and a retirement plan from his former job with a value below $15,000. Furthermore, there was also a federal Thrift Savings Plan loan with between $15,000 and $50,000 in debt.

His family resides in Chevy Chase, a wealthy neighborhood near Washington DC. According to state property records, their home was purchased for $1.2 million back in 2006.

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