Federal Courts and Nominations

Kavanaugh Hires Court’s First All-Female Team of Clerks

New justice gets to work on Tuesday

The newest Supreme Court justice will hear his first cases on Tuesday, and the New York Times reports that Brett Kavanaugh will be assisted by a notable team of clerks. All four are women, a first in the Supreme Court’s history. Kavanaugh actually made note of the fact during his testimony to refute allegations of sexual misconduct, also pointing out that most of his 48 clerks over the last dozen years have been women. The justice said it’s been a conscious decision on his part to help remedy the issue of women being historically under-represented among higher-echelon clerk positions.

Not everyone is wowed by that. “Unfortunately, it’s going to take a lot more than female clerks to undo the damage to the legitimacy of the court done by this travesty of a confirmation process,” Elizabeth Wydra, president of the Constitutional Accountability Center, tells the newspaper. “Women will feel much more confident in the court when their fundamental rights are protected and their equal dignity is respected in the rulings handed down by the justices.” USA Today, meanwhile, has a preview of Kavanaugh’s first cases; none are particularly controversial. The first one, on Tuesday, looks at a law that gives habitual criminals a 15-year-minimum sentence for a crime involving a gun.

More from Federal Courts and Nominations

Federal Courts and Nominations
January 17, 2024

The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights Sign-On Letter Prioritizing Diverse Judges

Dear Senator, On behalf of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights and the...
Federal Courts and Nominations
July 31, 2023

Liberal justices earn praise for ‘independence’ on Supreme Court, but Thomas truly stands alone, expert says

Fox News
Some democrats compare Justice Clarence Thomas to ‘Uncle Tom’ and house slave in ‘Django Unchained’
By: Elizabeth B. Wydra, By Brianna Herlihy
Federal Courts and Nominations
July 7, 2023

In Her First Term, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson ‘Came to Play’

The New York Times
From her first week on the Supreme Court bench in October to the final day...
By: Elizabeth B. Wydra, by Adam Liptak
Federal Courts and Nominations
July 8, 2023

The Supreme Court’s continuing march to the right

CNN
Major legal rulings that dismantled the use of race in college admissions, undermined protections for...
By: Elizabeth B. Wydra, by Tierney Sneed
Federal Courts and Nominations
June 25, 2023

Federal judge defends Clarence Thomas in new book, rejects ‘pot shots’ at Supreme Court

CNN
A federal appeals court judge previously on short lists for the Supreme Court is taking the rare...
By: Elizabeth B. Wydra
Federal Courts and Nominations
May 1, 2023

Supreme Court, done with arguments, turns to decisions

Roll Call
The justices have released opinions at a slow rate this term, and many of the...
By: Brianne J. Gorod, By Michael Macagnone