Brett Kavanaugh

Brett Kavanaugh was born on February 12, 1965, in Washington, D.C. His father, Everett Edward Kavanaugh Jr., was a lobbyist for the cosmetics industry; his mother, Martha Kavanaugh, was a public school teacher who later worked as a prosecutor in MarylandMarylandMaryland is a Middle Atlantic state of the United States, deeply indented by Chesapeake Bay and bordered by Pennsylvania, Delaware, Virginia, the District of Columbia and West Virginia; its capital is Annapolis and its largest city is Baltimore. One of the original 13 states, it ratified the U.S. Constitution on April 28, 1788, as the seventh state to do so, and had a population of 6,177,224 in the 2020 census (April 1, 2020).Open the full entry and then as a state court judge.⁠[1][2]

He attended private Roman Catholic primary and secondary schools, including Georgetown Preparatory School, received a B.A. in history from Yale College of Yale UniversityYale UniversityYale University is a research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Its predecessor, the Collegiate School, received a charter in 1701. Trustees chose New Haven in 1716; the institution became Yale College in 1718 and Yale University in 1887. Yale provides undergraduate, graduate and professional education and has 14 undergraduate residential colleges. As of October 2026, its president was Maurie McInnis, who took office in July 2024. In 2026, Yale expanded aid for incoming undergraduates and celebrated its 325th anniversary.Open the full entry in 1987, and earned a J.D. from Yale Law School in 1990.⁠[1][3]

From 1990 to 1991 he was a law clerk to Judge Walter K. Stapleton of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, and from 1991 to 1992 to Judge Alex Kozinski of the Ninth Circuit. From 1992 to 1993 he was an attorney in the Office of the Solicitor General at the U.S. Department of Justice, and from 1993 to 1994 he clerked for Justice Anthony M. Kennedy of the Supreme Court of the United States.⁠[3][2]

From 1994 to 1997 and again in 1998 he served as an associate independent counsel on independent counsel Kenneth Starr’s team in the Whitewater investigation.⁠[3][1]

From 1997 to 1998 and from 1999 to 2001 he was in private practice at the law firm Kirkland & Ellis in Washington, D.C., where he was a partner.⁠[1][2]

From 2001 to 2003 he was Associate Counsel to President George W. BushGeorge W. BushGeorge W. Bush (born 1946) is an American politician and Republican who worked in the energy business and was a part owner of the Texas Rangers baseball team before becoming the 46th governor of Texas in 1995 and serving as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009.Open the full entry, becoming Senior Associate Counsel in 2003; from 2003 to 2006 he was Assistant to the President and Staff Secretary.⁠[3][1]

On July 25, 2003, and February 14, 2005, he was nominated to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit; the Senate voted on neither nomination.⁠[3]

On January 25, 2006, George W. Bush nominated him again, to the D.C. Circuit seat vacated by Laurence H. Silberman. The Senate confirmed him on May 26, and his commission was issued on May 30, 2006. His service on that court ended on October 5, 2018, upon his appointment to another judicial position.⁠[3]

On July 10, 2018, President Donald Trump nominated him to succeed Anthony M. Kennedy as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States.⁠[3]

On October 6, 2018, the Senate confirmed his nomination by a vote of 50 to 48 (Rollcall Vote No. 223), and his commission was issued the same day.⁠[3][4][1]

The same day he took his oaths in the Justices’ Conference Room at the Court: Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr.John G. Roberts Jr.John G. Roberts Jr. (born 1955) is an American judge who has served since 2005 as the 17th Chief Justice of the United States, heading the Supreme Court of the United States.Open the full entry administered the Constitutional Oath, and retired Justice Anthony M. Kennedy administered the Judicial Oath in a private ceremony. On October 8, Kennedy administered the Judicial Oath again at a televised ceremony in the East Room of the White House, and his formal investiture took place on November 8, 2018.⁠[5]

As of November 2026, he continues to serve as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States.⁠[2]

He married Ashley Estes in 2004; they have two daughters, Margaret and Liza.⁠[2]

Supreme Court of the United States (current members): Web page: https://supremecourt.gov/about/biographies.aspx (opens in a new window).⁠[2]

Federal Judicial Center (judicial biography of Brett Kavanaugh): Web page: https://www.fjc.gov/history/judges/kavanaugh-brett-m (opens in a new window).⁠[3]