Photos: Menachem Kalish

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fter Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy announced his retirement on June 27, the nation waited 12 days for President Trump to name a successor: Judge Brett Kavanaugh, 53, of the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals. Kavanaugh is a devout Catholic; his wife, Ashley, was President George W. Bush’s personal secretary. Although Kavanaugh is to the right of Kennedy, he has ruled moderately on Obamacare and religious liberty.

“Coach K”

When he’s not wielding a gavel, Kavanaugh presides over a different kind of court: He coaches a sixth-grade girls’ basketball team in the local Catholic youth league. He said at the White House last week that being “Coach K” has allowed him to forge a connection with his two daughters like the one he had with his father. His new job will likely curtail his coaching career — to the chagrin of his team, which finished the season undefeated and won the league championship.

Charity First

In a May commencement address to Catholic University law school graduates, Kavanaugh stressed the importance of helping the weak: “Being a graduate of this law school means you will have many advantages, but you also have responsibilities: Serve meals to the homeless, give clothing to the poor, and use your training for those who need legal help.”

Fateful Date

Kavanaugh met his wife, Ashley, when they both worked in the Bush administration. Their first date was on September 10, 2001. They were both in the White House the next morning when the Secret Service ordered everyone out because of the 9/11 terror attacks.

On the House

Kavanaugh’s friends testify to his modesty. Tim Higgins of the Chevy Chase Lounge, where Kavanaugh often pops in for a celebratory burger and beer after a basketball game, told the Washington Post, “I never even knew Brett was a lawyer.”

Class Act

In 2014 Kavanaugh and his Yale Law School class came to hear attorney Nathan Lewin argue his case before the Supreme Court against the State Department’s refusal to list Jerusalem as Israel’s capital on US passports. “He was a strong supporter of our side,” said Lewin.

Judge Mom

He’s not the first judge in the family. His mother Martha, a schoolteacher, earned a law degree and became first a prosecutor, then a judge in Montgomery County, Maryland. “My introduction to law came at our dinner table,” Kavanaugh says.

Key Player

Kavanaugh has already played key roles in historical events. On the staff of special prosecutor Ken Starr, Kavanaugh helped draft the final report that laid the groundwork for impeaching Bill Clinton. In the 2000 Bush-Gore presidential election, Kavanaugh helped stop the Florida manual ballot recount demanded by Democrats in several precincts. The Supreme Court voted in a controversial 5-4 ruling to stop the manual recount. (Originally featured in Mishpacha, Issue 719)