President Donald Trump officially selected Brett Kavanaugh, a judge for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, on July 9 to replace Justice Anthony Kennedy. He is the second U.S. Supreme Court justice Mr. Trump has selected since taking office.
Mr. Kavanaugh, 53, was one of four reported finalists considered for the seat. During the announcement, President Trump said Mr. Kavanaugh "has impeccable credentials, unsurpassed qualifications, and a proven commitment to equal justice under the law," Bloomberg reports.
Here are six things to know about Mr. Kavanaugh and his healthcare-related opinions:
1. A graduate of New Haven, Conn.-based Yale University and Yale Law School, Mr. Kavanaugh made a name for himself during the Clinton and George W. Bush administrations. He played a lead role in the investigation of former President Bill Clinton and authored the Starr Report, which urged the U.S. House of Representatives to impeach Mr. Clinton for lying about his affair with then-White House intern Monica Lewinsky, according to The Los Angeles Times.
2. In December 2000, Mr. Kavanaugh joined the Republican legal team that won the fight to prevent the ballot recount in Florida during the presidential race between Al Gore and former President Bush. He later took a post in the White House counsel's office under the former president and served as his staff secretary. He was nominated to the D.C. Circuit in 2003, but was not confirmed for the position until 2006, The Los Angeles Times reports.
3. Mr. Kavanaugh wrote a lengthy dissenting opinion in 2011 that a lawsuit against the ACA's individual mandate was not ready for judgment until someone paid for the penalty. Critics suggest the opinion laid the groundwork for Chief Justice John Roberts to save the ACA in 2012 by considering the individual mandate a tax, according to Politico.
4. The Los Angeles Times reports Mr. Kavanaugh dissented in 2015 when the D.C. Circuit court upheld a revised regulation under the ACA involving contraceptives. Though religious employers did not have to provide or pay for contraceptives, they were required by law to file a form notifying their intent to opt out of providing the service. Mr. Kavanaugh claimed requiring them to do so violated their rights to religious freedom.
5. Mr. Kavanaugh also dissented on an immigration case last fall, during which the D.C. Circuit court supported the right of an undocumented teenager in HHS custody to have an abortion.
6. The confirmation process to appoint Mr. Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court is slated to begin July 10, when Mr. Kavanaugh is reportedly expected to travel to Capitol Hill and begin meeting with senators, according to NPR. Republican aides told the publication July 9 they expect the entire process to last roughly two months.