Supreme Court pick LIVE: Judge Brett Kavanaugh chosen as Trump's new Supreme Court justice
Act of picking new justice seen as one of most significant a president can make during term
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Your support makes all the difference.Amid mounting speculation, Donald Trump has made what he described as one of "the most important" decisions of his presidency - a replacement for retiring Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy.
The president had said with any of his final four options “you can't go wrong”, and on Monday evening he announced he had opted for the federal appeals judge Brett Kavanaugh.
Mr Kavanaugh's selection was a reward for evangelical Christians and other religious conservatives who have supported his presidency, and creates a significant conservative majority on the panel of the highest court in the land. Here's how it happened.
Mr Trump said earlier on Monday, before announcing his move: “I'm very close to making a final decision. And I believe this person will do a great job,” Mr Trump said. Asked by reporters how many people were being considered, the president said: “Let's say it's the four people ... they're excellent, every one.”
While Trump did not name the four, top contenders were considered to be Mr Kavanaugh himself, Raymond Kethledge, Amy Coney Barrett and Thomas Hardiman. The White House has been preparing information materials on all four, who were part of a longer list of 25 names vetted by conservative groups.
Mr Trump tweeted later on Sunday that he was looking forward to the announcement and said an “exceptional person will be chosen!” He is hoping to replicate his successful announcement of Justice Neil Gorsuch last year.
The president has spent the days leading up to the decision mulling the pros and cons of the various options with aides and allies. He expressed renewed interest in Mr Hardiman — the runner-up when Mr Trump nominated Justice Gorsuch, but his thinking is said to remain fluid.
Mr Hardiman has a personal connection to the president, having served with Mr Trump's sister on the 3rd US Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia. He also has a compelling personal story: He went to the University of Notre Dame as the first person in his family to go to college. He financed his law degree at the Georgetown University Law Center by driving a taxi.
Associated Press contributed to this report
Mr Trump is talking about the importance of the court and thanking Justice Anthony Kennedy - the retiring judge - for his service over four decades.
Mr Trump: “What matters is not a judges political views but whether they can set aside those views to do what the law and the constitution require. I am pleased to say that i have found without doubt that person.”
And there is the announcement of Brett Kavanaugh to take the seat
Mr Kavanaugh is now speaking - praising Mr Trump for the breadth of people he spoke to to talk about his pick fro the Supreme Court
Mr Kavanaugh is now talking about being an only child, to his history teacher mother and his father.
Mr Kavanaugh says he’s “deeply honored” to fill Anthony Kennedy’s seat on the Supreme Court. He points to his mom and dad. He is also joined by his wife, Ashley, and two daughters.
He calls his mother a "trailblazer" who became a prosecutor and that is where he learnt his trade - at the dinner table.
The top Democrat in the Senate, Chuck Schumer, has released a statement about the choice:
"In selecting Judge Brett Kavanaugh for the Supreme Court, President Trump has put reproductive rights and freedoms and health care protections for millions of Americans on the judicial chopping block. His own writings make clear that he would rule against reproductive rights and freedoms, and that he would welcome challenges to the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act...
“This nomination could alter the balance of the court in favor of powerful special interests and against working families for a generation, and would take away labor, civil, and human rights from millions of Americans. We cannot let that happen. If we can successfully block this nomination, it could lead to a more independent, moderate selection that both parties could support.”
President Donald Trump introduced his Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh as "a judge's judge" and cited his "proven commitment to equal justice under the law."
Mr Trump said Judge Kavanaugh has "impeccable credentials and unsurpassed qualifications."
Judge Kavanaugh has amassed a solidly conservative judicial record since 2006 on the influential US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, the same court where three current justices including Chief Justice John Roberts previously served. Some conservative activists have questioned whether he would rule sufficiently aggressively as a justice.
Kavanaugh potentially could serve on the high court for decades. Trump's other leading candidates for the post were fellow federal appellate judges Thomas Hardiman, Raymond Kethledge and Amy Coney Barrett.
"A judge must be independent and must interpret the law, not make the law. A judge must interpret statutes as written and a judge must interpret the constitution as written," Mr Kavanaugh said during the ceremony in which he underscored his ties to his family and his Roman Catholic faith.
More reactions from Senators coming in. It is the Senate that will decide whether Mr Kavanaugh will take up his post.
Senator Mark Warner, Democrat of Virginia –
“I plan to carefully examine Judge Kavanaugh’s record and judicial philosophy. I cannot and will not support a nominee who would take this country backwards by undermining our fundamental rights and American values.”
Seantor Mazie Hirono, Democrat of Hawaii –
“Judge Kavanaugh has not earned the benefit of the doubt. He has the burden of proof to demonstrate his ability to be independent of the President and exercise unbiased and independent judgment.”
Indivisible Project’s Co-Executive Director Ezra Levin is one of a number of activist group leaders to declare that the fight to stop the new justice's confirmation is on:
If Trump successfully installs Brett Kavanaugh onto the Supreme Court to replace Anthony Kennedy, Trumpism will infect the Court for a generation. The stakes are no less than the fate of Roe v. Wade, the Affordable Care Act, LGBTQ rights, and our democratic institutions.
“Our path to victory is narrow, but it’s there. Step one is keeping all Democratic senators together. This is not business as usual and there’s no time to waste. All Democratic senators must come out in opposition right now. A vocal, united Democratic front will focus pressure on Republican senators - forcing them to decide between appeasing Trump or preserving our fundamental rights.
So now is the time for hardball, and Senator Chuck Schumer is up at bat.”
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