Accountability file

Record & events

• investigation: Circuit to become the head of the Office of Independent Counsel, Kavanaugh assisted him with investigations concerning President Bill Clinton, including drafting the Starr Report recommending Clinton's impeachment. (as of 2026-07-18T01:50:35.827Z) — Wikipedia [cc-attribution]
• charge: His confirmation hearings were contentious and stalled for three years over charges of partisanship. (as of 2026-07-18T01:50:35.828Z) — Wikipedia [cc-attribution]
• statement: None of the accusations were corroborated by eyewitness testimony, and Kavanaugh denied them. (as of 2026-07-18T01:50:35.828Z) — Wikipedia [cc-attribution]
• investigation: In that capacity, he reopened an investigation into the 1993 gunshot death of Vincent Foster. (as of 2026-07-18T01:50:35.828Z) — Wikipedia [cc-attribution]
• investigation: After three years, the investigation concluded that Foster had committed suicide. (as of 2026-07-18T01:50:35.828Z) — Wikipedia [cc-attribution]
• investigation: In a September 2018 New York Times op-ed, Princeton University history professor Sean Wilentz criticized Kavanaugh for having invested federal money and other resources into investigating partisan conspiracy theories surrounding the caus… (as of 2026-07-18T01:50:35.828Z) — Wikipedia [cc-attribution]
• investigation: Arguing for Starr's office, Kavanaugh asked the Court to disregard attorney–client privilege in relation to the investigation of Foster's death. (as of 2026-07-18T01:50:35.828Z) — Wikipedia [cc-attribution]
• statement: In July 2007, senators Patrick Leahy and Dick Durbin accused Kavanaugh of lying to the Judiciary Committee when he denied being involved in formulating the Bush administration's detention and interrogation policies. (as of 2026-07-18T01:50:35.828Z) — Wikipedia [cc-attribution]
• disposition: In 2018, in a follow-up petition from the Solicitor General of the United States, the United States Supreme Court vacated the en banc District of Columbia Circuit's judgment and the girl's claim was ultimately dismissed as moot and does … (as of 2026-07-18T01:50:35.828Z) — Wikipedia [cc-attribution]
• statement: In May 2015, he dissented from a decision that denied an en banc rehearing of Priests for Life v. (as of 2026-07-18T01:50:35.828Z) — Wikipedia [cc-attribution]
• charge: In February 2016, Kavanaugh dissented when the en banc circuit refused to rehear police officers' rejected claims of qualified immunity for arresting partygoers in a vacant house. (as of 2026-07-18T01:50:35.828Z) — Wikipedia [cc-attribution]
• statement: Obama (2015), Kavanaugh concurred when the circuit court denied an en banc rehearing of its decision to vacate a district court order blocking the National Security Agency's warrantless bulk collection of telephony metadata, writing that… (as of 2026-07-18T01:50:35.828Z) — Wikipedia [cc-attribution]
• charge: In October 2012, he wrote for a unanimous court when it found that the Constitution's Ex Post Facto Clause made it unlawful for the government to prosecute Salim Hamdan under the Military Commissions Act of 2006 on charges of providing m… (as of 2026-07-18T01:50:35.828Z) — Wikipedia [cc-attribution]
• disposition: In 2014, he concurred in the judgment when the en banc circuit found that Ali al-Bahlul could be retroactively convicted of war crimes, provided the existing statute already made it a crime "because it does not alter the definition of th… (as of 2026-07-18T01:50:35.828Z) — Wikipedia [cc-attribution]
• disposition: In October 2016, Kavanaugh wrote the plurality opinion when the en banc circuit found al-Bahlul could be convicted by a military commission even if his offenses are not internationally recognized as war crimes. (as of 2026-07-18T01:50:35.828Z) — Wikipedia [cc-attribution]
• investigation: Higgenbotham (2016), Kavanaugh concurred when the divided panel threw out a claim by an American that he had been disappeared by the FBI in a Kenyan black site. (as of 2026-07-18T01:50:35.828Z) — Wikipedia [cc-attribution]
• statement: Bloomberg wrote, "Kavanaugh's opinion for the court repeatedly went out of its way to show it respected the Coalition for Mercury-Free Drugs's (CoMeD) 'genuine concern' regarding thimerosal", but nevertheless "said the coalition was requ… (as of 2026-07-18T01:50:35.828Z) — Wikipedia [cc-attribution]
• statement: Rubenfeld said that Kavanaugh "hires women with a certain look" but did not say what that "look" was. (as of 2026-07-18T01:50:35.828Z) — Wikipedia [cc-attribution]
• statement: Unnamed sources reported that Chua said that female applicants should exude "model-like" femininity and "dress outgoing" in job interviews with Kavanaugh. (as of 2026-07-18T01:50:35.828Z) — Wikipedia [cc-attribution]
• investigation: Responding to the report, Chua denied that Kavanaugh's hiring decisions were affected by female applicants' attractiveness, saying, "Judge Kavanaugh's first and only litmus test in hiring has been excellence." Yale Law School Dean Heathe… (as of 2026-07-18T01:50:35.828Z) — Wikipedia [cc-attribution]
• statement: In his first public speech after the nomination, Kavanaugh said, "No president has ever consulted more widely or talked with more people from more backgrounds to seek input about a Supreme Court nomination." Legal philosophy and approa… (as of 2026-07-18T01:50:35.828Z) — Wikipedia [cc-attribution]
• statement: During his hearing, Kavanaugh said that he had often said the four greatest moments in Supreme Court history were Brown v. (as of 2026-07-18T01:50:35.828Z) — Wikipedia [cc-attribution]
• disposition: He expounded at length on various Constitutional amendments, stare decisis (the role of legal precedent in shaping subsequent judicial rulings), and the president's power to dismiss federal employees. (as of 2026-07-18T01:50:35.828Z) — Wikipedia [cc-attribution]
• statement: During his testimony, Kavanaugh said that Kozinski's 2017 exposure as an alleged prolific sexual harasser was a surprising "gut punch". (as of 2026-07-18T01:50:35.828Z) — Wikipedia [cc-attribution]
• resignation: The Guardian reported that their sources disputed Kavanaugh's account because Kozinski's alleged behavior was reportedly widely known among those in the judicial system and its exposure culminated in his abrupt resignation from the bench. (as of 2026-07-18T01:50:35.828Z) — Wikipedia [cc-attribution]
• statement: The committee released a 2003 email in which Kavanaugh said, "I am not sure that all legal scholars refer to [Roe v. (as of 2026-07-18T01:50:35.828Z) — Wikipedia [cc-attribution]
• disposition: Wade] as the settled law of the land at the Supreme Court level since Court can always overrule its precedent, and three current justices on the Court would do so." Kavanaugh stressed that he was commenting on the views of legal scholars… (as of 2026-07-18T01:50:35.828Z) — Wikipedia [cc-attribution]
• disposition: Senator Susan Collins indicated that Kavanaugh's statement did not contradict his personal assurance to her that Roe is settled law. (as of 2026-07-18T01:50:35.828Z) — Wikipedia [cc-attribution]
• statement: She said she "believed he was going to rape me" and feared for her life when he held his hand over her mouth. (as of 2026-07-18T01:50:35.828Z) — Wikipedia [cc-attribution]
• statement: In his opening statement, Kavanaugh claimed the accusations were a "political hit" by left-wing activists and Democrats, saying he faced retaliation "on behalf of the Clintons" for his work on the Starr Report against Bill Clinton. (as of 2026-07-18T01:50:35.828Z) — Wikipedia [cc-attribution]
• statement: Leland Keyser, Ford's friend who Ford said was present during the alleged attack, has denied that it took place, and questioned certain aspects of the story. (as of 2026-07-18T01:50:35.828Z) — Wikipedia [cc-attribution]
• investigation: Keyser also stated she felt pressured by people to support Ford's story, something she told the FBI about. (as of 2026-07-18T01:50:35.828Z) — Wikipedia [cc-attribution]
• statement: Feinstein said that the woman had claimed that, when they were both in high school, Kavanaugh had tried to force himself on her while she was being physically restrained. (as of 2026-07-18T01:50:35.828Z) — Wikipedia [cc-attribution]
• statement: The same day, Feinstein said she had forwarded the woman's accusation to federal authorities. (as of 2026-07-18T01:50:35.828Z) — Wikipedia [cc-attribution]
• statement: She said that in the early 1980s, Kavanaugh and Mark Judge, one of Kavanaugh's friends from Georgetown Prep, corralled her in a bedroom at a house party in Maryland and turned up the music playing in the room. (as of 2026-07-18T01:50:35.828Z) — Wikipedia [cc-attribution]
• statement: Ford said she was afraid that Kavanaugh might inadvertently kill her during the attack, and believed he was going to rape her. (as of 2026-07-18T01:50:35.828Z) — Wikipedia [cc-attribution]
• statement: Kavanaugh issued the following statement through the White House: "I categorically and unequivocally deny this allegation. (as of 2026-07-18T01:50:35.828Z) — Wikipedia [cc-attribution]
• statement: Kavanaugh released a statement on the evening before his and Ford's scheduled testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee. (as of 2026-07-18T01:50:35.828Z) — Wikipedia [cc-attribution]
• statement: He said that due to the serious nature of the allegations, both he and Ford deserved to be heard. (as of 2026-07-18T01:50:35.828Z) — Wikipedia [cc-attribution]
• charge: He also stated, "I am innocent of this charge." On September 19, the Senate Judiciary Committee invited Kavanaugh and Ford to testify about the allegation. (as of 2026-07-18T01:50:35.828Z) — Wikipedia [cc-attribution]
• investigation: Ford requested that the FBI investigate the matter first, but Judiciary Committee chair Chuck Grassley declined the request, and gave Ford a deadline of September 21 to inform the committee whether she intended to testify. (as of 2026-07-18T01:50:35.828Z) — Wikipedia [cc-attribution]
• investigation: On October 4, 2018, the White House announced that it had found no corroboration of Ford's allegation after reviewing the FBI's latest probe into Kavanaugh's past. (as of 2026-07-18T01:50:35.828Z) — Wikipedia [cc-attribution]
• investigation: Her attorneys tweeted, "Those directing the FBI investigation were not interested in seeking the truth." In September 2019, New York Times reporters Kate Kelly and Robin Pogrebin published The Education of Brett Kavanaugh: An Investigation. (as of 2026-07-18T01:50:35.828Z) — Wikipedia [cc-attribution]
• statement: According to The Washington Post, the book revealed that "Keyser also said she spoke with many people who 'wanted me to remember something different'—suggesting that there was pressure on her to toe the line [against Kavanaugh]". (as of 2026-07-18T01:50:35.828Z) — Wikipedia [cc-attribution]
• statement: Kavanaugh said, "This alleged event from 35 years ago did not happen." The New Yorker spoke to four classmates, three identified as eyewitnesses but all denied witnessing the event. (as of 2026-07-18T01:50:35.828Z) — Wikipedia [cc-attribution]
• statement: Avenatti said his client would be willing to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee. (as of 2026-07-18T01:50:35.828Z) — Wikipedia [cc-attribution]
• statement: In a sworn statement, Swetnick described attending "well over ten house parties in the Washington, D.C. (as of 2026-07-18T01:50:35.828Z) — Wikipedia [cc-attribution]
• statement: Swetnick provided NBC News with the names of friends who attended the parties, but none could corroborate her claims, while some said they did not know her. (as of 2026-07-18T01:50:35.828Z) — Wikipedia [cc-attribution]
• investigation: Grassley referred Swetnick and Avenatti to the Justice Department for criminal investigation regarding claims that they engaged in "conspiracy, false statements and obstruction of Congress". (as of 2026-07-18T01:50:35.828Z) — Wikipedia [cc-attribution]
• investigation: She was referred to the Department of Justice and FBI for making false accusations and obstructing justice. (as of 2026-07-18T01:50:35.829Z) — Wikipedia [cc-attribution]
• investigation: FBI investigation and ethics complaints At the conclusion of the hearing, the Republican leadership of the committee indicated that they planned to hold a committee vote on the nomination the next day, September 28, with a procedural vot… (as of 2026-07-18T01:50:35.829Z) — Wikipedia [cc-attribution]
• investigation: On September 28, the committee voted along party lines to advance the nomination to the full Senate; Senator Jeff Flake's vote in support was conditioned on delaying the vote in the full Senate for a week to allow the FBI to investigate … (as of 2026-07-18T01:50:35.829Z) — Wikipedia [cc-attribution]
• investigation: Later, Senators Joe Manchin and Lisa Murkowski also said they would not vote to confirm without an FBI investigation. (as of 2026-07-18T01:50:35.829Z) — Wikipedia [cc-attribution]
• investigation: On this request from the Judiciary Committee, Trump ordered a "supplemental investigation to update Judge Kavanaugh's file", to be limited in scope and completed within a week. (as of 2026-07-18T01:50:35.829Z) — Wikipedia [cc-attribution]
• statement: Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said the Senate would vote on the confirmation on October 6. (as of 2026-07-18T01:50:35.829Z) — Wikipedia [cc-attribution]
• investigation: Democrats called the FBI investigation incomplete, a "farce", a "sham" and "a horrific cover-up" that omitted key witnesses at the White House's direction. (as of 2026-07-18T01:50:35.829Z) — Wikipedia [cc-attribution]
• investigation: According to The Washington Post, the White House stopped the FBI from investigating possible falsehoods in Kavanaugh's testimony to Congress about his drinking habits during his youth. (as of 2026-07-18T01:50:35.829Z) — Wikipedia [cc-attribution]
• investigation: Chief Justice Roberts appointed a special federal panel of judges to investigate them. (as of 2026-07-18T01:50:35.829Z) — Wikipedia [cc-attribution]
• disposition: In December 2018, the panel dismissed all the complaints, calling them "serious" but deciding that lower court judges have no authority to investigate Supreme Court justices. (as of 2026-07-18T01:50:35.829Z) — Wikipedia [cc-attribution]
• charge: It features a never-before-heard audio recording made by Partnership for Public Service president and CEO Max Stier, a Yale colleague of Kavanaugh's, that corroborates Ramirez's charges and suggests that Kavanaugh violated another unname… (as of 2026-07-18T01:50:35.829Z) — Wikipedia [cc-attribution]
• statement: He conceded that sexual orientation discrimination "may, as a very literal matter, entail making a distinction based on sex"; nonetheless, he said, "to fire one employee because she is a woman and another employee because he is gay impli… (as of 2026-07-18T01:50:35.829Z) — Wikipedia [cc-attribution]
• statement: City of Philadelphia, ruling in favor of a Catholic adoption and social service agency that had been denied funding by the City of Philadelphia because it does not place children for adoption with same-sex couples; the ruling also declin… (as of 2026-07-18T01:50:35.829Z) — Wikipedia [cc-attribution]
• statement: Alston in June 2021, in which the Court ruled unanimously that college sports were not exempt from antitrust law, Kavanaugh called the NCAA "a massive money-raising enterprise on the backs of student athletes who are not fairly compensat… (as of 2026-07-18T01:50:35.829Z) — Wikipedia [cc-attribution]
• statement: pay workers a fair market rate on the theory that their product is defined by not paying their workers a fair market rate." He said there were "serious questions" about other rules on compensation. (as of 2026-07-18T01:50:35.830Z) — Wikipedia [cc-attribution]
• charge: After arriving at Kavanaugh's residence, Roske called the police and was arrested, saying his attempt to murder Kavanaugh stemmed from dissatisfaction with the Supreme Court's leaked draft opinion in Dobbs v. (as of 2026-07-18T01:50:35.830Z) — Wikipedia [cc-attribution]
• disposition: On April 8, 2025, Roske pleaded guilty to attempted murder of a United States Supreme Court justice. (as of 2026-07-18T01:50:35.830Z) — Wikipedia [cc-attribution]
• disposition: On October 3, 2025, United States district judge Deborah Boardman sentenced Roske to 97 months in prison and a lifetime of supervised release. (as of 2026-07-18T01:50:35.830Z) — Wikipedia [cc-attribution]
• charge: In September 2024, Panos Anastasiou of Alaska was arrested and charged with threatening to torture and assassinate six Supreme Court justices in 465 messages on a public court website. (as of 2026-07-18T01:50:35.830Z) — Wikipedia [cc-attribution]
• charge: He was indicted on 22 counts, including nine counts of making threats against a federal judge and 13 counts of making threats in interstate commerce. (as of 2026-07-18T01:50:35.830Z) — Wikipedia [cc-attribution]
• disposition: In April 2026, Anastasiou accepted a deal to plead guilty, and could be sentenced to 10 years in prison. (as of 2026-07-18T01:50:35.830Z) — Wikipedia [cc-attribution]
• disposition: Kavanaugh argued that if a president "does something dastardly", they may be impeached by the House of Representatives, convicted by the Senate, and criminally prosecuted after leaving office. (as of 2026-07-18T01:50:35.830Z) — Wikipedia [cc-attribution]
• investigation: He asserted that the United States would have been better off if President Clinton could have "focused on Osama bin Laden without being distracted by the Paula Jones sexual harassment case and its criminal investigation offshoots". (as of 2026-07-18T01:50:35.830Z) — Wikipedia [cc-attribution]
• investigation: This article garnered attention in 2018 when Kavanaugh was nominated to the Supreme Court by Trump, whose 2016 presidential campaign was at the time the subject of a federal probe by Special Counsel Robert Mueller. (as of 2026-07-18T01:50:35.830Z) — Wikipedia [cc-attribution]