U.S. Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh may have offered a glimpse of the case he'll make at his Senate confirmation hearings during the swearing-in ceremony of Britt Grant to the Atlanta-based 11th Circuit Court of Appeals.
Kavanaugh slipped back into his judicial robe Tuesday to return to the federal courthouse in Washington to preside over the ceremony for Grant, a Georgia Supreme court justice who is his former law clerk. He called her “fair and even handed” and talked a bit more broadly about his philosophy.
"In our constitutional system, a judge must be independent, must keep an open mind in every case, and must decide cases based on the facts and the law, not based on personal or policy views," he said, according to USA Today.
Grant was narrowly confirmed by the U.S. Senate last week for a lifetime position on the court, which covers Alabama, Florida and Georgia. Three Democrats joined 49 Republicans to support the ex-Georgia solicitor general, who was tapped to the state's highest court by Gov. Nathan Deal.
In an eight-minute ceremony, Kavanaugh described Grant as a “loyal friend you want as you travel through the valleys and mountains of life.” And Grant called him her “first and best model” of how to be a judge.
Since he was selected by President Donald Trump in July to succeed retired Justice Anthony Kennedy, Kavanaugh has shuttled to meetings with U.S. senators to prepare for still-unscheduled confirmation hearings.
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